


typing... text sent!

by ayuminb



Series: Modern!AU Adventures [9]
Category: A Song of Ice and Fire & Related Fandoms, A Song of Ice and Fire - George R. R. Martin
Genre: (DRUNK BOB BEING FLIRTY OR TRYING. and failing.), (also there's Rhaegar being. well - RHAEGAR. if you know what i mean.), (and Lyanna is holding onto her rebellious phase somethign fierce), (except it works.), (he's not the reason the the rating tho. he's just there being... himself i guess.), (into the Wolves' Den with Bobby), (last chap: or in which Bobby charmes his way into everyone's good graces. except the Stark men lol), (now watch me skirt around a Secret with skill and aplomb.), (rated explicit for a reason. sex's the reason.), (the idiots are oblivious AF. srsly.), Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Background Relationships, Bi Lyanna Stark, Drunk Texting, Drunken Shenanigans, F/M, Meeting the Parents, Modern Westeros, Shameless Smut, Texting Shenanigans
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-07
Updated: 2019-01-08
Packaged: 2019-10-05 22:55:39
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 22,485
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17333957
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ayuminb/pseuds/ayuminb
Summary: [3:17 AM] NED:Allow me to tell you, as of the twentieth of the third month, in the year nine hundred and eigthy-nine, that is today, at exactly three-fourteen in the morning, you swore on your cousin’s grave that this is, and I quote, “the last fuckin’ bender of my youn’ an’ awesome life, Ned, promise”.





	1. the start

**Author's Note:**

  * For [bythunder](https://archiveofourown.org/users/bythunder/gifts).



> For Kal, who asked, eons ago:
> 
> Robert got a girl's number at a bar, but she gave him a fake number (Lya's, by mistake). So Robert's sending flirty texts and Lya's like, 'who the hell is this???' but his dumb flirty texts make her laugh, so they keep talking.

It’s the buzzing of his phone what wakes him up, but the pounding headache what makes him groan pitifully. Miserably. Robert rolls over, stretching his arm to grab at his phone but finds it missing from its usual place on his nightstand.

 

_Ugh. Never again._

 

It is a promise he won’t keep, obviously. Ned assures him he’s made that promise a dozen times already, and has yet to keep it. _He’s like a old man_ , Robert thinks, groans and rubs his eyes, trying to endure the pain. _I’m just enjoying my youth, there’s nothing wrong with that._ Really, there isn’t. Even Ned has known a hangover once or twice, he can’t be too judgemental. And speaking of Ned…

 

Robert sits up, slowly, groaning in pain all the time, takes in his lack of shirt— _well, he didn’t bring me home_ —he usually ended up fully clothed and sprawled on top of his bed when his friend dropped his drunk ass off. _I… didn’t get laid, did I?_ It’d be _just_ his luck, not to remember that; he remembers little of last night, and alright, _maybe_ he went too hard on the drinking, but he remembers _some_. Remembers bar-hopping with Ned and some other coworkers, remembers trying to pick up this smoking hot chick, whose features are mostly blurred beyond her blonde hair, not really succeeding but managing to get her number.

 

_What then?_

 

His phone keeps buzzing, and after fumbling around his bed, throwing off blankets and sheets—and he’s still wearing his jeans, so no sex for him apparently—he finds it under a pillow. Odd. He picks it up just as another text lights up the screen, Ned’s name flashing through before it gets tucked into the notification bubble. But it’s not that which gets his attention; the reason _why_ his phone keeps buzzing in his hand now, another text - a flood of them, it seems, non-stop. It’s the name of the _sender_.

 

He rubs his eyes again, looks closer, and tries to come up with a name for the mystery woman from last night at the bar. And fails. “Lya…” The name feels strangely familiar on his lips, as if he’s repeated it enough already. But also sounds extremely nice, sends tingles all over his body as if a part of him associated only good things with it. _With Lya._ There’s another incoming text from her and, mostly sober now, he feels _nervous_ ; he drunk-texted a girl he knew nothing about and now he’ll have to see how much of a disaster that was.

 

_Hopefully, she’s not texting to say I’m a creep._

 

Only one way to find out, obviously but, _before_ that, Robert decides to check Ned’s texts and get those out of the way. And he is definitely not postponing anything, nope, he’s just letting his good friend know he’s still alive, if with a massive hangover.

 

 **[3:17 AM] NED:** Allow me to tell you, as of the twentieth of the third month, in the year nine hundred and eigthy-nine, that is today, at exactly three-fourteen in the morning, you swore on your cousin’s grave that this is, and I quote, “the last fuckin’ bender of my youn’ an’ awesome life, Ned, promise”.

 

Robert groans and already _dreads_ to find out what it is he did to get Ned speaking like an Old Man™.

 

 **[3:18 AM] NED:** Not even a reminder that your cousin is still very much alive, living peacefully with his family in King’s Landing, dissuaded you from swearing on his grave.

 

 **[3:19 AM] NED:** You said, and again, I quote, “his bro-in-law is a ninja-assassin that’ll off him soon enough for disrespecting his hot-as-fuck wife”.

 

 **[3:19 AM] NED:** I hope this “bro-in-law” never hears you call Ms. Martell-Targaryen “hot-as-fuck” or I fear, Robert, he’ll come after you instead.

 

Rubbing his eyes, his can’t help but laugh, thanking all the Gods for Ned, knowing his friend would never speak a word of what he’s heard from him during these benders. He’s tempted to reply that Rhaegar will, very possibly, meet his end soon enough, as he’d predicted. He loves the man as much as anyone would love a douchey relative, but he’s met Oberyn Martell, he’s seen how protective he is of his sister, how much he loves her. Robert is certain no other brother would be as protective of his sister as Oberyn Martell is, except perhaps Ned and his brothers.

 

Of course, how he’s heard it, Ned and his brothers have to protect their sister from actual shit that’s partly her fault. Like beating up three older guys to defend a friend, which is awesome in his opinion, and almost facing retribution for it. Ned had told him he and his older brother had to have a _talk_ with these boys; he got it, the meaning, but still thinks they’d been moderate in their reaction. Because if that had been _his_ sister, nothing would’ve stopped him from beating them up till they all ended up in the hospital.

 

Noticing the following texts are more of the same, he scrolls down until something catches his eyes, then he stops and stares. “What the fuck?”

 

 **[3:43 AM] NED:** Catelyn thanks you, but says in the event of my untimely death, she will mourn like a normal person.

 

 **[3:43 AM] NED:** Now, stop texting me, Robert.

 

 **[3:44 AM] NED:** And, for Gods’ sake, do not send another message to that number. I’m sure it’s fake, Catelyn agrees with me. Have a good night.

 

 **[3:45 AM] NED:** Please, try not to choke on your own vomit.

 

“The nerve, Eddard.” He wastes no time in typing his reply, affronted because how _dare_ he.

 

 **[12:07 PM] ROBERT:** i do NOT vomit. wtf dude. and what’s with ur “untimely death”???? R U DYING EDDARD?!?!?!

 

 **[12:07 PM] NED:** Last night, or early this morning if you prefer, you told me to tell Catelyn, and I quote, “tell Cat that if you die, I’ll be there for her”, all the while I carried you up to your apartment.

 

 **[12:08 PM] ROBERT:** i’m a nice guy

 

 **[12:08 PM] NED:** Then you added, “to satisfy her every sexual need” and very nearly passed out on the floor.

 

 **[12:08 PM] ROBERT:** oh

 

 **[12:08 PM] ROBERT:** wait

 

 **[12:08 PM] ROBERT:** DID U DROP ME???

 

 **[12:09 PM] NED:** Yes.

 

Before he can get properly indignant at his answer, Robert has to admit he deserved it. One of the downsides of his benders, since he forbid himself from playfully flirting with Catelyn the moment she and Ned got serious, is that he tends to unleash all of that in one go. And _well_ , sometimes he goes overboard.

 

 **[12:11 PM] ROBERT:** ok fair. i deserved that.

 

 **[12:11 PM] ROBERT:** tell her i’m sorry. i didn’t mean it, the last part.

 

 **[12:11 PM] ROBERT:** i will be there for her if anything were to happen to you, ned, you know that.

 

 **[12:12 PM] NED:** I do know that, thank you. Catelyn says thank you as well.

 

 **[12:12 PM] NED:** Now, I’ll assume you haven’t checked the conversation you had with the mystery girl from last night.

 

 **[12:13 PM] NED:** Go eat something first, take a shower, and take the painkillers I left on the kitchen table. I don’t think you’ll be happy with what you did.

 

 **[12:13 PM] NED:** The number was fake, by the way. Or rather, it did not belong to the girl in the bar.

 

 **[12:13 PM] NED:** I told you so.

 

Ned tells him he has to go, but he’s already scrolling up the chat to find out _what the fuck_ he meant by that. And there – there it is, fucking plain as day. Suddenly, his hangover seems to vanish, but the pounding headache intensifies, as does the dread. Robert drags a hand down his face, pretty sure he’s pale as a ghost.

 

“Oh, _fuck_.”

 

 **[4:02 AM] ROBERT:** ned u right. u

 

 **[4:02 AM] ROBERT:** chick from the bar. fake af. u right wasn’t her number.

 

 **[4:02 AM] ROBERT:** but ned

 

 **[4:02 AM] ROBERT:** ned this girl. is so gorgs

 

 **[4:02 AM] ROBERT:** grgss*

 

 **[4:03 AM] ROBERT:** she’s so fucking pretty

 

 **[4:03 AM] ROBERT:** the prettiest. i

 

 **[4:05 AM] ROBERT:** she even txts pretty. and sounds pretty i love her voice

 

 **[4:05 AM] ROBERT:** she said t’fck off but

 

 **[4:05 AM] ROBERT:** i don’t think she mean it. she’s still txtign

 

 **[4:06 AM] ROBERT:** fuck ned. shes so. fucking pretty u cant imagine

 

 **[4:10 AM] ROBERT:** ned

 

 **[4:10 AM] ROBERT:** ned. i think i’m in love

 

*****

 

He does as Ned suggested. Takes a much needed hot shower, then turns the tap and lets the cold water shake off the last of his hangover. He’s quick to get out, wrap a towel around his waist and walk towards the kitchen. And there it is, his phone, right where he left it when he came to swallow down the painkillers; innocent-looking thing, who would’ve guessed it could do so much damage?

 

_I’m exaggerating. I don’t even know what I said. What Lya said. She’s still texting, so it might not even be bad._

 

Maybe he is _that_ lucky and managed to pick up a girl while drunk-texting her. He's no other explanation for her continuous messages. He decides to make himself some breakfast before tackling what might as well be a giant disaster. But as soon as he has the coffeemaker running, his phone starts buzzing, and Robert reacts accordingly, leaping across the kitchen to grab it.

 

The incoming text has him grinding his teeth in annoyance. “The _nerve_ of this girl.”

 

 **[12:56 PM] ROBERT:** i do NOT vomit. thanks very much

 

 **[12:56 PM] LYA:** Bobby! Glad to know you live!

 

 **[12:56 PM] LYA:** I didn't want to mourn my one true _love_ ~ not yet anyway.

 

He groans, really, really wishing someone would just _kill him now_.

 

 **[12:56 PM] LYA:** How're you feeling? Still in love with me?

 

The blush comes unbidden, whether in embarrassment or something else, he's not sure. He's just glad she's not telling him to fuck off for real this time. He's not very happy with her teasing, though. Bad enough being in the dark about their conversation, Robert doesn't need to be teased about his drunken confessions.

 

 **[12:57 PM] ROBERT:** definitely. and since you don't seem to have a problem, how ‘bout we meet in person?

 

 **[12:57 PM] ROBERT:** some time soon

 

 **[12:57 PM] ROBERT:** i'd like to show you just how in love i am

 

 **[12:58 PM] LYA:** Are you willing to drive for nearly two days to see me?

 

 **[12:58 PM] ROBERT:** for you? i'd travel to the ends of the world

 

 **[12:58 PM] LYA:** My _my_ , you were not kidding about your flirting game, Bobby. Remarkable.

 

 **[12:58 PM] LYA:** I _swoon_ ~

 

 **[12:58 PM] ROBERT:** ha ha

 

The realization that Lya's not from the Vale is not really surprising. He hadn't thought that blonde from the bar was from here either, but the implication that he'd have to drive nearly two days to see her… Robert could make an educated guess; Lya must live either in Dorne or the North. The thought intrigues him enough to wonder; he's met a few Dornish beauties, Elia being one of them, but he's never met a Northern one. Now more than ever, he wishes to know what she looks like.

 

 _I must know what she looks like. I wouldn't have told Ned she was the prettiest if I hadn't seen her already._ He should've scrolled up the chat to see the picture he's almost sure he'd find before she began texting again. He should've read the whole thing from the start. _I know how she sounds, too._ That will help him place her location, her accent. Ned's accent had been pronounced when they'd first met, and it's taken years for it to fade out some. _Maybe it's someone from Ned's neighborhood._ That would be awesome, if unlikely.

 

 **[1:00 PM] LYA:** Jokes aside, really, how're you feeling?

 

 **[1:00 PM] LYA:** You were pretty hammered last night. Or early this morning, whatever you wanna call it.

 

 **[1:00 PM] ROBERT:** last night

 

 **[1:00 PM] ROBERT:** let me pretend i'm not having breakfast past noon

 

 **[1:01 PM] LYA:** Just from our texts “last night”, I'd believe breakfast past noon is the usual for you, Bobby.

 

 **[1:01 PM] ROBERT:** why’d you keep calling me Bobby??

 

 **[1:01 PM] LYA:** Because, Robert, you said I could call you anything I wanted.

 

 **[1:01 PM] LYA:** You haven't read the whole chat, have you?

 

 **[1:01 PM] LYA:** That's not fair, I have an advantage here.

 

 **[1:02 PM] LYA:** I could use it. Or I could let you catch up.

 

 **[1:02 PM] LYA:** What do you think, Bobby?

 

 **[1:02 PM] LYA:** ;)

 

He really, _really_ wants to catch up. Also he really, _really_ can’t believe a winky face has him wanting to _do_ stuff.

 

 **[1:03 PM] ROBERT:** i'd like to

 

 **[1:03 PM] ROBERT:** catch up, if that's ok with you

 

 **[1:03 PM] LYA:** Go on, then. I'll wait for your reaction eagerly.

 

“Thanks,” he mumbles, but does exactly that. He's too curious to let an opportunity like this go. “Alright…”

 

He quickly scrolls to the top, resisting the urge to stop and look at the few pictures he spied among the texts. His coffee is still a while from being done, so he sits on one of the chairs and prepares to face whatever it is he did and said in his latest drunken stunt.

 

“Oh, _for fuck’s sake.”_

 

******

 

Lyanna throws her phone onto her desk and then throws herself onto her bed, letting out a long sigh. Exhausted and wanting nothing more to sleep, she closes her eyes and attempts to do just that. Except she fails, eyes drifting to her desk, focusing on her phone, and maybe, _just maybe,_ willing it to start buzzing with incoming texts.

 

A first for her, not telling _Bobby_ to fuck off; well, not insisting on it, because she had told him but had not meant it. But well, Lyanna had been a little charmed, and a lot intrigued once he started rambling how he got her number. And then she had been even more charmed once his focus went from the apparently hot blonde to her after one poorly-taken selfie.

 

But first she’d been shocked, then sympathetic, then really, _really_ annoyed.

 

 **[3:23 AM] UNKNOWN:** my friend said not

 

 **[3:23 AM] UNKNOWN:** not to msg u

 

 **[3:23 AM] UNKNOWN:** but

 

 **[3:23 AM] UNKNOWN:** i’m robert btw, from the bar

 

 **[3:23 AM] LYANNA:** Oh, buddy.

 

 **[3:23 AM] LYANNA:** You got the wrong number.

 

 **[3:24 AM] LYANNA:** Probably by design.

 

 **[3:24 AM] UNKNOWN:** no u put this number in my phone

 

 **[3:24 AM] UNKNOWN:** i was standing right there

 

 **[3:24 AM] LYANNA:** Yup.

 

 **[3:24 AM] LYANNA:** You were duped. Sorry.

 

 **[3:24 AM] UNKNOWN:** no

 

 **[3:25 AM] UNKNOWN:** ur the hot blonde

 

 **[3:25 AM] UNKNOWN:** from the bar. smoking hot blonde

 

 **[3:25 AM] UNKNOWN:** wearing a tiny red dress and

 

 **[3:25 AM] UNKNOWN:** fuck but i

 

 **[3:25 AM] UNKNOWN:** may’ve said something stupid. i said i was sorry. i rlly am. yea i want to see you out of that dress

 

 **[3:25 AM] UNKNOWN:** so fucking bad

 

 **[3:26 AM] LYANNA:** Gross. You said that? Wtf dude.

 

 **[3:26 AM] UNKNOWN:** i’m sorry! rlly i

 

 **[3:26 AM] UNKNOWN:** i told u i’m sorry. tis why i just asked for ur number and not

 

 **[3:26 AM] LYANNA:** I recommend you take a moment to think before you say anything else.

 

 **[3:26 AM] UNKNOWN:** a date. i told you i’d ask you out porpr

 

 **[3:26 AM] UNKNOWN:** proply*

 

 **[3:27 AM] LYANNA:** Properly?

 

 **[3:28 AM] UNKNOWN:** yea! yea that. when i’m not drunk

 

 **[3:28 AM] UNKNOWN:** that’s when

 

 **[3:28 AM] UNKNOWN:** u gave me ur number

 

 **[3:28 AM] UNKNOWN:** i’m screwing this up aren’t i. fuck i’m sorry

 

By then, while still very much annoyed at the stranger, she had felt for him. Naive of her, maybe, but Lyanna believed he was genuine enough in his intentions to ask this blonde out like a decent human being. But, clearly, words were not his forte; not while drunk anyway.

 

 **[3:29 AM] LYANNA:** I’m sorry, too. Your mystery girl duped you, really. This is not her number.

 

 **[3:29 AM] LYANNA:** I’m Lya. And I’m definitely not blonde, Bobby.

 

 **[3:29 AM] UNKNOWN:** u sure?

 

 **[3:29 AM] UNKNOWN:** i’m robert

 

 **[3:29 AM] LYANNA:** I’m sure. Nice to meet you, Bobby.

 

A lapse of sanity, it's the only explanation she has for what she'd done then. Opening up the camera, she had snapped a quick selfie, and sent it to him.

 

 **[3:30 AM] LYANNA:** There, see? Not blonde, Bobby.

 

She'd expected no reaction – hair pulled up in a hasty bun, a dusting of purple under her eyes, wearing a baggy hoodie and her thick-rimmed glasses. It was definitely not her best look, it was not even _a_ look; she was about to collapse from exhaustion due all the studying she’s been doing. After a minute, and then another had passed with no reply from the mysterious Robert, she decided to get back to her books.

 

Then her phone had started buzzing like mad.

 

 **[3:33 AM] UNKNOWN:** oh

 

 **[3:33 AM] UNKNOWN:** oh wow i

 

 **[3:33 AM] UNKNOWN:** wow ur so

 

 **[3:33 AM] UNKNOWN:** gsrss

 

 **[3:33 AM] UNKNOWN:** gofgss*

 

 **[3:33 AM] UNKNOWN:** so fucking pretty i can’t

 

The laugh that had escaped her was mostly due to the shock at his reaction; that there _was_ a reaction at all. An explosive thing coming from deep in her belly. But it's the warmth climbing up her neck what makes her actually pause. _Smooth, Bobby,_ she'd thought.

 

The phone kept buzzing.

 

 **[3:36 AM] UNKNOWN:** ur not answering. fuck i’m sorry

 

 **[3:36 AM] UNKNOWN:** i’m sorry but i can’t help it. ur so fucking pretty

 

 **[3:36 AM] UNKNOWN:** the prettiest girl i’ve ever seen

 

 **[3:36 AM] LYANNA:** Thanks for the compliment.

 

 **[3:37 AM] UNKNOWN:** i rlly mean it. ur so pretty

 

 **[3:37 AM] UNKNOWN:** i promise i’m better at this

 

 **[3:37 AM] LYANNA:** Better at what?

 

 **[3:37 AM] UNKNOWN:** flirting

 

 **[3:37 AM] LYANNA:** We're flirting?

 

 **[3:37 AM] UNKNOWN:** i am. r u?

 

 **[3:38 AM] LYANNA:** Bobby, can I call you Bobby?

 

 **[3:38 AM] UNKNOWN:** u can call me anything you want

 

She made a brief pause to save his number, not questioning why she felt the need to do so. Her face felt warmer than before, but she wasn't about to consider the why.

 

 **[3:40 AM] LYANNA:** Ok. Bobby, how about you go to sleep now, and talk to me again once you're sober.

 

 **[3:40 AM] BOBBY:** i wanna keep talking to u

 

 **[3:40 AM] LYANNA:** I need to study, Bobby. I've an exam in about 5 hours.

 

 **[3:40 AM] BOBBY:** then u go to sleep too

 

 **[3:41 AM] LYANNA:** Later. In a few minutes.

 

 **[3:41 AM] BOBBY:** i’ll keep u company then

 

 **[3:41 AM] LYANNA:** You'll distract me. You _are_ distracting me.

 

 **[3:41 AM] BOBBY:** u txt pretty. i bet u even sound pretty

 

She’d taken only a moment to say, “Fuck off, Bobby,” to her phone and send the voice message, when his next message dropped in. Lyanna stopped then, blinked once, then _again_ , and then felt her face very nearly burst into flames.

 

 _Oh_ , she’d thought, as she took in the unbuttoned shirt and broad shoulders, the hard planes of his chest and abs and the entirely too sinful line of dark hair leading down, down, _down_ until it’s lost under the waistband of jeans that seemed to barely hold onto his hips. _Oh_ , she’d thought, as her eyes swept up, up, _up_ and zeroed on his face, the lazy grin, a cute dimple, and half-lidded eyes, blue, _blue_ eyes that had her hooked and unruly dark hair that make her hand itch to touch it.

 

Or pull on it.

 

 _Oh_ , she had thought, still does every time she glances at the picture, now, several hours later. _Oh, damn, he’s hot._

 

Lyanna will never admit it, but when her phone starts buzzing, she may or may not have leaped to pick it back up. She swipes her thumb over the screen to open up the latest message – then burst out laughing.

 

******

 

 _At least I didn’t send a dick pic_ , he thinks. He’d done that once during his first year of college; needless to say, he’d regretted it. Ned said he’d dropped him onto his bed, trusting he’d find his way under the covers. And he had, although he’d only managed to take off his shirt before all that. He shudders thinking what he would’ve sent Lya if he’d done more than just unbutton his shirt.

 

There’s a brief pause, before his thumb taps the screen of his phone, bringing close to his ear. _“Fuck off, Bobby.”_ There’s no one around to see him, yet Robert still feels the need to hide his blushing face; she _does_ sound pretty, though such a short phrase is not enough to place her accent, not that he's familiar with any other but the one from Winterfell. He hates that nickname, but suddenly not from her, not at all; he laughs because for all his stupid stunts while drunk, he is surprisingly honest, _so yes_ , he’ll let this girl call him whatever she likes.

 

Her reply to his own selfie makes him laugh, as does his following proclamation of love due to her voice message. It’s something else, what makes him skim over the rest and decide he knows enough not to be blindsided again.

 

 **[1:19 PM] ROBERT:** i promise to never again assault your virgin eyes with my naked flesh before you’re ready

 

 **[1:19 PM] LYA:** _typing…_

 

 **[1:19 PM] LYA:** _typing…_

 

 **[1:19 PM] LYA:** _typing…_

 

 **[1:20 PM] LYA:** I’m ready now.

 

“Damn, this girl,” he groans, bangs his head on the table once before typing his reply.

 

 **[1:21 PM] ROBERT:** don’t tempt me

 

 **[1:21 PM] ROBERT:** i’m in a towel now

 

 **[1:21 PM] ROBERT:** you’d be seeing more than last night

 

Before he can think of adding to that, he catches the word ‘recording’ and stops, grabbing his phone expectantly. Robert leans forward, elbows on the table, and he waits anxiously. Then she’s done, the message comes through, he’s tapping to hear it within the second – and there, soft and sweet and breathless, _her voice_ :

 

“I’m ready now, Bobby.”

 

 _Damn this girl_. Regardless, his hand moves almost on its own, tapping away on his screen, opening up the camera, and before he can second guess himself, snapping a quick selfie. Strangely enough, he feels self-conscious about it. It is a good picture, waist up and showing he is, in fact, just coming out of the shower, right hand rubbing the back of his neck and, _fuck it all_ , he's also blushing.

 

Not much to do, now, the picture goes through immediately. He debates only a second before holding down the mic icon on his phone and bringing it closer.

 

“Is that good? Or am I still assaulting your virgin eyes?”

 

Another message that goes through immediately; then she's typing back.

 

 **[1:25 PM] LYA:** Fresh out of the shower? Bobby, you spoil me. My virgin eyes thank you for it, actually.

 

 **[1:25 PM] LYA:** I like your voice, it's very…

 

He returns the compliment in his head, as he'd told her plenty last night in his drunken run.

 

 **[1:25 PM] ROBERT:** very what?

 

 **[1:25 PM] LYA:** _typing…_

 

 **[1:26 PM] LYA:** _typing…_

 

 **[1:26 PM] LYA:** _Nice_. How's the hangover? I mean, you look _fine_. Pun intended, but do you feel fine?

 

 **[1:26 PM] ROBERT:** i feel fine _now_ , how was your exam? did you ace it?

 

 **[1:26 PM] LYA:** I won't know for sure till monday.

 

 **[1:26 PM] ROBERT:** i hope you did well. have you slept at all?

 

 **[1:27 PM] LYA:** Not really. I just,

 

 **[1:27 PM] LYA:** Got home.

 

 **[1:27 PM] ROBERT:** you should rest then, sleep some more.

 

 **[1:27 PM] ROBERT:** i'll be here when you wake up.

 

 **[1:27 PM] LYA:** I _swoon_ ~ my devoted lover.

 

 **[1:28 PM] ROBERT:** lover? i'll be your devoted lover once i get to _actually_ love you ;)

 

 **[1:29 PM] LYA:** I’m off to sleep now. Have a nice day, Bobby!

 

“You too,” he says to his empty kitchen.

  
He waits a beat before laying his phone down, and stands up to get his coffee. He’s got a long day ahead, some of that is finding Ned and saying _I Told You So_.


	2. the middle

“Your mystery girl again?”

 

Ned arches an eyebrow at him from across the table, he's amused and somewhat surprised by his sudden single-minded interest in Lya. He'd been suitably disapproving when Robert had hounded him with a smirk and a I-told-you-so echoing around them, but as the weeks, and then months went by, his best friend was simply intrigued.

 

“You know her name,” he says a bit defensive.

 

“I know a short version of her name.” Ned smirks. “I still can't believe you picked up a girl at your worst.”

 

Robert gives him a smirk back. “It's the Baratheon charm, dude.”

 

His phone hums in his hand and, quickly, Robert opens up the chat. Immediately, a shudder travels the length of his spine.

 

 **[12:49 PM] LYA:** Last night…

 

 **[12:49 PM] LYA:** It was fun ;)

 

And it surely was. Robert feels the grin coming, unable to stop it, as he remembers. The little black dress that had made him thank all the gods he didn't believe in for choosing to have a lazy night in, because his mind had gone into overdrive and it was only sheer will what stopped him from slipping his hand under his sweatpants. But he'd called and her breathy voice had him pressing the heel of his hand into his groin regardless.

 

Then _she'd_ called later, well past midnight, slightly drunk and telling him how much she wanted to feel his hands on her. There’d been no stopping his hand, then.

 

_“Damn, girl.”_

 

There’d been no stopping all his filthy thoughts from tumbling past his lips.

 

 **[12:50 PM] ROBERT:** it sure was ;)

 

 **[12:50 PM] ROBERT:** I'd be happy to have a repeat

 

Her next message is a selfie showing her and Dacey sticking their tongues out at him.

 

 **[12:50 PM] LYA:** Can't right now, maybe later

 

 **[12:51 PM] LYA:** Dacey says sexting in public is rude

 

 **[12:51 PM] ROBERT:** tell Dacey she needs to have some fun

 

“Or this Lya is simply in need of some help,” says Ned, loudly, to get his wandering attention. “Of the professional kind.”

 

“Rude, Eddard,” he says, affronted, and balls up a napkin and throws it at him. “Just for that, I'll not show you the cute picture she just sent me.”

 

Ned scoffs, picking up his sandwich. “It's been months and you've yet to show me _any_ pictures.”

 

“Yeah, well, _those_ are not for you to see.” It's insane how possessive he feels about this girl, that he's reluctant to show her to the man he considers more a brother than those who share his blood. “And you're on time out, so… no cute pictures for you now.”

 

 **[12:53 PM] ROBERT:** ttyl babe, bro's being a pain in the ass

 

 **[12:53 PM] LYA:** Don't complain, I've 3 brothers, that's what they do

 

She sends him another selfie, this time of her alone and blowing him a kiss. Which Robert replies with a selfie of his own, despite Ned's teasing. _As if he weren't the same with Cat,_ he thinks. Catelyn appears by his side, then, suddenly and pretty much out of nowhere, dropping a kiss to his cheek before taking a seat next to Ned and kissing him on the lips.

 

“Who's getting a selfie from Robert?” She asks, and gets a look from Ned. “Your Lya?”

 

“Yes, thank you for saying her name,” he says, giving Ned a pointed look.

 

“I said her name.”

 

“To call her crazy.”

 

“Robert, you have to admit this _romance_ of yours is… suspect.” Catelyn looks apologetic enough for him to ignore the sting of her words. “How it all started… and how you're still going out on dates.”

 

“You're also on time out, now,” he tells her. “Those dates led to nothing.”

 

“Which is why I wanted to ask for a favor…” Catelyn leans forward, grabbing his hands and putting up her best pleading expression. “Please.”

 

Robert narrows his eyes, suspicious. “What kind of favor?”

 

“The kind only you can do.”

 

The smirks threatens to break free, Robert hums and feigns contemplation. “Well damn, Cat, you know I'd _love_ to,” he leans forward to give her his most regretful glance. “But Ned's my best friend, _my brother,_ I would never—”

 

A napkin ball hits his head, and Ned growls, “time out.”

 

Catelyn is more nice about it, simply pinching his cheek and shaking her head with a smile. “No.”

 

He rubs his sore cheek. “What is it then?”

 

“My sister, Lysa, is flying over this weekend and, I'd loathe to leave her alone…”

 

“And we can't change the restaurant's reservation on such a short notice,” adds Ned, explaining further.

 

His eyebrows shoot up. “You want me to entertain her?”

 

“I was hoping for you to take her out, but on a double date, with us.” Catelyn squeezes his hands. “We couldn't cancel our reservation, but we managed to change it.”

 

“We'd appreciate it, Robert.”

 

“Uh, yeah, I can do that.”

 

Catelyn smiles at him, tugging on his hands until he’s leaning closer so she can kiss his forehead. “Thank you for this.”

 

He smiles back. “It's no problem.”

 

Now he only needs to… explain this to Lyanna.

 

******

 

Sometimes, Lyanna still finds it hard to believe that it’s been months since Robert sent her that first message. Other times, she's an equally amount of difficulty believing it's been months since _she consciously replied to him_. So much has happened.

 

The weird back-and-forth flirting of that first day had tapered off to a sort of comfortable exchange of daily texts; the usual for people that were getting to know each other, but with none of the reservation of strangers. Asking about each other's days and activities, likes and dislikes, what made them passionate and what enraged them, just – they'd talked about _everything_. Family and friends and even the people that annoy them. She's told him all about her difficult relationship with her father and he's confided in her about his tumultuous relationship with his brother and cousin. They've talked about Brandon being her favorite brother, even if she's closer to Benjen, about Dacey, about his inability to form a closer bond with his brothers and how much he wishes his best friend were actual family. They've talked about her inherent rebelliousness and how she’s yet to try and wrestle it under control and his womanizing ways when he was in high school and college, and how after knocking up a girl he got the wake up call that put a stop to it.

 

 _His daughter, Mya._ They've talked at length about Mya, a three-year-old who clearly had him wrapped around her little finger. Now, Lyanna's never been a big fan of children, but the kid was adorable and so her phone now held several pictures of her and Robert. _The kid's father is what really interests me._ She's honest enough to admit that to herself, admit Robert's attractiveness shot up some more once it clicked he was a loving father. She’s even more honest when she admits in the privacy of her mind that she likes it best that he’s not pushing for more than the required time with the kid, that Mya’s in her mother’s custody.

 

It is insane, all of this, how fast they've bonded, how goddamned attracted she is to him, and not at all like her, no matter the logical part telling her to end this since it'll amount to nothing, but… But there is something about Robert that prevents her from _ending_ whatever it is they have. _We have something very real here._ From texts to calls to video chat, as days and weeks and then months went by; the flirting and pictures and _sloppy selfies._

 

_But there had been one… that was not sloppy at all._

 

Weeks ago, Dacey had dragged her to a club – had let her make no excuses, and they both dressed up to go out and have a good time. Lyanna had been assaulted by memories of their relationship; perhaps making out with her former girlfriend was what prompted the memories to resurface, but… _well_. If Lyanna ever had any doubts about their breaking up, she certainly didn’t have them now; yes, the attraction was still there, _yes_ , if they let themselves go, it would be _goddamn_ fun, but it isn’t enough and both she and Dacey were already down different paths that would not merge in that sense. _Weeks ago_ , feeling bold and playful, she'd snapped a selfie trying to show off as much of the LBD Dacey had talked her into wearing – she put up no resistance, to be honest. She'd taken the selfie and sent it to Robert with a single caption.

 

_“This one's for the shirtless pics ;)”_

 

A little thing that hugged her curves and displayed her legs spectacularly – according to Dacey, her best feature. Hair unbound and tumbling over her shoulders; she’d not worn make-up because she needed to draw a line somewhere. And then she’d drank and danced and had the most fun since her exam period started at Winterfell Uni. Then she waited, and half expected to receive texts in response, _a lot of them_ – he was like that, responding to every selfie with a string of compliments that always made her laugh and blush and feel warm all over, and then he’d send a selfie of his own showing his incredibly attractive smirk and blue eyes and—

 

He had called instead.

 

Lyanna had not realized what was happening, thinking the vibrations of her phone were due to endless incoming texts, but no. _No_ , it’d been ringing; she’d stared at it for what felt like long minutes before hurrying off to the club’s restroom and taking the call.

 

_“Bobby!”_

 

If she’d sounded breathless, if his throaty voice _does_ things to her, well, no one could really fault her for it, right?

 

Right.

 

_“Damn, girl.”_

 

The smirk came, unabashed, as she leaned in the sinks.

 

_“You know how cruel this is? Gods, Lya – that picture.”_

 

Honestly, the _way_ he said her name—even though she’d felt incredibly smug, she still felt pleasant tingles spread all over her body. _How’d it be if he were actually here?_ The months spent talking, getting to know each other, had given her enough to guess he would probably… have her up against the wall right now. _Kissing. He'd be kissing me._ It was a thought that plagued her, something she couldn't help but wonder about constantly. Playful banter and shameless flirting – everything had remained relatively tame, she'd dare say even innocent, considering what she considered flirting while dating Dacey. But there's certainly _something_ not at all innocent lurking underneath.

 

Lyanna briefly wondered if this would be what unleashed that beast.

 

_“You like?”_

 

_“So fucking much.”_

 

_“How much is that?”_

 

He'd groaned then, and the throaty laugh that escaped her was almost shocking. Then he groaned again and proceeded to tell her in marvelous detail just how much he liked how she looked; then she'd had to remind herself she couldn't just ditch Dacey for… for whatever it was that began brimming there. That night, weeks ago, and the days following, things changed, took a turn for the bold and exciting and—

 

“Are you brooding again?” Dacey’s voice and the sudden removal of her phone from her hands have Lyanna startling out of her memories. “Didn't we agree it isn't a pretty look on you?”

 

“I don't remember agreeing to that,” she says, trying to get her phone back with little success. “And I'm a Stark, brooding is always a good look on us. Now give me back my phone.”

 

Dacey sticks her tongue out and Lyanna is about to laugh when her phone starts buzzing again. An arched eyebrow is aimed at her. “Are you ignoring your boy toy?” The phone keeps buzzing. “Lover's spat?”

 

“No, it's—”

 

Dacey is fully aware of this thing with Robert, knows how quick she's developed feelings for this man whom she's never met in person – she'd found out days after that first series of text, when Lyanna had been looking at his selfie, again. Dacey had pounced on her with questions and teasing words until she'd asked just what was going on.

 

_“Nice abs. Do you like this guy?”_

 

_“I – yes.”_

 

Now it's more than _like_ , and Dacey knows that. It's much more and if she's said nothing and tried to keep her continuous interactions with Bobby as lighthearted, if definitely more daring, as always, _well_ , that's on her. It's not like she doubts his interest, he's enthusiastic, _genuine_ enough for her to believe him.

 

But.

 

“Lyanna.” Her phone is back on her hand as Dacey sits next to her. “What is it?”

 

“It's stupid.”

 

“Obviously not, or you wouldn't be like this.”

 

But it really is; the more Lyanna thinks about it, the more it's obvious she's overreacting. _He went on a double date. So what? His friend needed his help, that's all there is to it._ But doubt is not something she's ever had to deal with before, not like this, so Lyanna's at a loss of what to do. His texts while explaining the situation had been clear enough; his friend's girlfriend didn't know her sister was going to visit her this weekend and she felt bad for leaving her alone, so of course he would ask Robert to go on a double date. _It's not like we're exclusive, we've… dated other people._

 

She has gone on about three dates that went nowhere; if anything, the impromptu make-out session with Dacey during their last outing is the most she's done and…  She's her ex. She knows Robert's gone on dates too, they're honest with each other, but…

 

They're past harmless flirting, ‘tis the truth. Now, after a handful of conversations that tether on the verge of sexting or even phone-sex, _after a few that actually toppled over that cliff,_ it's… this, this is really stupid.

 

“Lyanna—”

 

“He's on a double date with his friend, his friend's girlfriend, and her sister.” So, she explains it all. “I told you, it's stupid.”

 

Dacey frowns, flicks her nose. “Stop saying that. He didn't just do this without telling you, yeah? Like, didn't wait until he was on the date to tell you? I mean, that would make him an asshole, and by the way you talk about your boy toy, he's everything _but_.”

 

“No, he told me before – days ago.”

 

“So you lied about being fine with it? Or you were actually fine until tonight,” Dacey says, tapping a finger to her chin. “I'm not going to lie and say I understand the relationship you have with this Robert, Lya. But I understand enough about relationships in general to know this kind of things need to be talked over; being able to compromise it's what makes any relationship work.”

 

“But we're not – he doesn't need to check in with me if he wants to date.”

 

“What?”

 

Lyanna shrugs.

 

“Are you having a long-distance, open relationship with the guy?”

 

Her phone keeps buzzing in her hand, only know it's an incoming call. “There is _no_ relationship, we're just friends.” _Who have definitely gone beyond that mark weeks ago,_ it's what she doesn't say.

 

“Right, because getting sulky over _just a friend_ dating is the way to go.” Dacey takes the phone from her again. “Shall I answer? And tell him I'm flying to the Vale to kick his ass for making you sad?”

 

“No—!”

 

But Dacey answers nonetheless, sticks her tongue out at her once more before putting the call on speaker. “Robert.”

 

_“Umm… Dacey?”_

 

“The one and only.”

 

Lyanna shifts in her seat, trying to keep quiet; she's not particularly happy with Dacey right now but is curious to see how this'll turn out.

 

_“Oh… um…”_

 

“Care to explain to me why my dearest friend is sad? And what is this about you going on a date?”

 

_“...she's sad?”_

 

Dammit but he sounds so wretched it takes Dacey moving away with her phone in hand for Lyanna to not say anything.

 

“Very.”

 

_“It wasn't a date, I promise it wasn't! I just went because—”_

 

“Your friend, yes. She told me.”

 

_“I asked her if it was ok and – look, Dacey, is Lya around? I need to talk about this with her.”_

 

Dacey arches an eyebrow at her, asking. She hesitates a second only, and then nods. It is a stupid thing, this insecurity, there's no need for any drama.

 

“Ok, Robert. Let me go get her.” Once again, her phone is back in her hands; Dacey mouths, _“You owe me.”_

 

Lyanna takes a deep breath and then taps the screen to shut off the speaker mode. “Hey—”

 

_“I'm sorry.”_

 

Somehow, that makes her smile.

 

_“If I'd known it would upset you…”_

 

“It didn't,” she cuts off. “Honest, it didn't. I'm just being silly.”

 

_“You, being silly? Well, that's hard to believe.”_

 

Is it weird she can tell he's smiling, that he starts smiling the moment she laughs. Probably. _Definitely._

 

_“I – this is really something I prefer doing face to face, I… Can I?”_

 

“Yeah, ok.”

 

His face is a welcome sight, it always is. Right now though, she wishes more than anything they didn't have to make use of their phones for this.

 

_“Oh wow.”_

 

So, the words escape her before she can properly process them. “I wish you were here.”

 

Robert blinks, and for a moment, it seems he’ll crack a joke as he’s wont to do, but stops – his expression acquires a solemnity she’s not used to seeing in him, as he softly replies, _“Me too.”_

 

“You know there’s an easy solution for that, right?”

 

Lyanna startles and glares at her friend, though it eases her to know Robert is unaffected. He simply laughs when Dacey presses her face next to her to be part of the conversation.

 

“Either of you can pick up a flight and you’ll be seeing each other in a matter of hours,” says Dacey, rolling her eyes. “It’s not like you’re at different ends of the world.”

 

It is, really, the most logical solution. Both wanted to meet in person very much, either she goes to the Vale or he comes up North, but really there isn’t much reason to delay other than… than their own silly fears. _What if we don’t get along once we’re face to face? Realize there’s no real attraction?_ It is what worries her the most.

 

“My family is meeting during the holidays, maybe—”

 

“Really, Lya? You want to throw him to the _wolves_ before you spend some time alone?”

 

“It was only a suggestion,” she snaps.

 

 _“Well, I don’t mind,”_ says Robert, and there he is, grinning at her from the screen of her phone. _“It’s not like I have any plans.”_

 

“Well, there you go! He’s willing to walk into the wolves’ den on his own.” Dacey winks at her mischievously. “There’s a keeper.”

 

Lyanna glares until Dacey leaves her alone, then turns a nervous smile at Robert. “Um… It’s in about three months, I’ll tell you when the final day is set?”

 

 _“Sure.”_ His grin in ever bright and full of mischief. _“It’s a date.”_

 

“A date,” she says, grinning back.

 

Three months. She can wait another three months, time will fly by as it always does, she’s enough stuff going on in her life to know she’ll most likely blink and she’ll be meeting Robert.

 

*****

 

Lyanna, of course, underestimates herself.

 

She couldn’t wait the three months. She nearly made it; just two days ago she’d texted Robert the final date of the family reunion and had agreed to pick him up from the train station in a week. The train is less expensive than a plane, and while it took the same travel time than a bus, and only a bit more than driving, it would be more comfortable for him. Still, Robert’d said he wouldn’t mind being uncomfortable at all, if in the end he got to meet her. His impassioned words and earnest smile, however, had left her _wanting_.

 

Yearning to meet him _right now_.

 

So, after Ned, the only Stark child missing, had arrived yesterday morning with girlfriend in tow—Catelyn Tully, a sweet girl who seems to be as enamoured with her brother as he is with her, well-mannered and soft-spoken, truly beautiful—Lyanna had snuck out while the family congregated around them. Now, sitting on the bus, nearly thirty-six hours later, legs bouncing as to prevent as much cramping as possible while she stares at the moving landscape, Lyanna sends a quick prayer that Grandma Arya manages to keep her disparaging comments about southerners to a minimum, or that Ned’s given Catelyn a heads up about the old woman at least. _We’ll see if being the favorite grandson pays off now._ Lyanna doubts it, Grandma Arya is as fervent about her dislike of the South as she is about Ned being her favorite grandson, but Catelyn had seemed really nice, and didn’t deserved the jabs their old grandma is wont to throw about carelessly.

 

The bus lurches to a stop and Lyanna feels a nervous wreck as she steps off it. _Maybe I should’ve texted him,_ she thinks, looking at a reuniting couple not far from her, but shakes her head. No, this is supposed to be a surprise. _A surprise I hope he enjoys._ Looks around the station anxiously, still not quite believing what she’s done, even as she stands there. Taking her phone out she curses when she notes there’s only a 10% of battery left, so she quickly fires a text to Dacey, telling her she made it safely to her destination and then puts it away, then she leaves the station.

 

The Vale of Arryn.

 

Lyanna takes her extra hoodie out of her messenger bag and slips it on, then put on her jacket. It’s not as cold as it in in the North, but it’s still cold to be walking in the streets. And, while she knows the general location of Robert’s place, she’s forgotten the exact address. _A surprise, this is a surprise._ She’ll look at her phone if she think she’s gotten lost, might even send a text to Robert to pick her up, but first she’ll try. Knowing him, he’s probably asleep, being so early in the morning. _I should probably be asleep, being so goddamned early in the morning._ The bus ride had not been comfortable, and she’d slept very little, if anything; it certainly felt like nothing, but she’d been too anxious to even try.

 

“It’ll be ok, Robert will be happy,” she mumbles. She could’ve waited, it’s only about three days before Robert would’ve taken the train to Winterfell now, and they would have met properly and— _and we would have been surrounded by all my family,_ with no time to be together, alone. No, Dacey was right, she can’t simply throw him to the wolves before they get to spend some quiet time together. “He will.”

 

Securing her bag, she keeps walking and walking and walking until she reaches a small park in front of what looks to be a big campus. A closer look provides an answer in big bold letters:

 

**GATES OF THE MOON UNIVERSITY.**

 

She grins, knowing Robert’s apartment should be in one of the buildings nearby. He said he lived near the campus, a few blocks or right next to it? Lyanna can’t quite remember, but while she debates whether sending a text asking for the address again would be too suspicious, _she sees him_.

 

Tall and lean and silver-haired, Lyanna can't be sure but suspects the man is really handsome, with an air of sophistication that most would probably consider greatly appealing. She's never seen him before, but something about him catches her attention, rings bells in her mind; she can't pinpoint why until an incredibly gorgeous woman nears him to converse with the man that it clicks.

 

The stunning woman, about her height, bronze-skinned, black-haired , and with a face and body to die for – she's Elia Martell-Targaryen. _Fucking hell, that's the wife of Robert's cousin._ Which would make the man Robert's cousin, if the light kiss the goddess of a woman places on his lips tells her anything. When Ms. Martell-Targaryen walks in her direction, Lyanna drops her gaze and grabs the strap of her bag as she shifts her feet nervously. It's an annoying habit from her childhood she's been unable to break, but one she's gotten better at controlling. Not so now; Elia Martell-Targaryen smiles at her as she passes her by, and she barely returns the gesture. The stunning woman sits on a bench not far from where she stands, takes out her cellphone, and Lyanna remains rooted in place, torn between stealing glances at her and moving on to find Robert's apartment.

 

_“Cousin!”_

 

When Robert himself solves the problem for her.

 

Lyanna gasps, eyes zeroing on his disheveled hair and casual attire and bright grin as he hugs his cousin briefly; her face bloom with heat. _He’s just gotten out of bed,_ she thinks, patting her cheeks, _he looks adorable._ More than that, he looks good enough to pounce on him. Again, her hands go to the strap of her bag, and this time she’s torn between wanting to run up to him and run away. Mind circling back and forth on this being a good or bad idea. _But he’s right there, and he’s as eager to meet me as I am to meet him._ All the exhaustion that’d plagued her since stepping off the bus leaves her in a rush, yet she still doesn’t know what to do.

 

 _I can’t interrupt him now. Maybe after he’s done talking?_ She grimaces. _Would it be too creepy if I follow him?_

 

“Excuse me, miss?”

 

“Yes!” Lyanna startles and jumps, spins around to come face to face with Ms. Martell-Targaryen and _wow_ , but she’s even more gorgeous from up close. “Yes…?”

 

The older woman smiles gently at her, making her blush.

 

She remembers the late night where she’d blurted out to Robert that she was bi via text. He’d been bored, then, a few months ago, while being forced to attend a family reunion that he could not avoid. He’d begun to drink too much, and it’d showed in the way his spelling deteriorated.

 

 **[11:43 PM] BOBBY:** heeey, babe. wha’up??

 

 **[11:43 PM] BOBBY:** help me pass the time

 

 **[11:43 PM] LYANNA:** Why? Where are you? 

 

 **[11:44 PM] BOBBY:** family reunion. boring af.

 

 **[11:44 PM] LYANNA:** Not happy to see your fam? Cold, Robert.

 

 **[11:44 PM] BOBBY:** nono! no, i like these meetings but

 

 **[11:44 PM] BOBBY:** my cousin

 

 **[11:45 PM] BOBBY:** is bein an a-hole

 

Lyanna had laughed then because that wasn’t a first time thing, Robert was always complaining about his cousin. How’d he described him the morning after?

 

_“A pretentious dirtbag. Definitely doesn’t deserve his hot-as-fuck wife.”_

 

But before that he’d kept complaining vaguely. Until he’d sent a blurry picture at her a few hours later.

 

 **[1:31 AM] BOBBY:** can yo see it??? how grgrrss

 

 **[1:31 AM] BOBBY:** how grorggr

 

 **[1:31 AM] BOBBY:** how fckin hots she???

 

 **[1:31 AM] LYANNA:** Robert, it’s one-thirty in the morning.

 

 **[1:32 AM] BOBBY:** fuc srry. did wake you?

 

 **[1:33 AM] LYANNA:** Yes, but it’s ok. What is it?

 

 **[1:33 AM] LYANNA:** What am I

 

 **[1:33 AM] LYANNA:** Looking at? It’s blurry

 

 **[1:34 AM] BOBBY:** oh wait

 

The picture sent after, was a selfie Robert had clearly not taken, because it was perfect. Just as she woman posing with him. For a second, Lyanna had known despair, because the woman in the picture just – _one hell of a beautiful woman._ She’d not had time to think of anything beyond that before his text dropped in again, forcing her attention on him.

 

 **[1:40 AM] BOBBY:** hows she? that

 

 **[1:40 AM] BOBBY:** my cosins wife

 

 **[1:40 AM] BOBBY:** bastard don deserve er

 

 **[1:41 AM] BOBBY:** if i were incl – inc

 

 **[1:41 AM] BOBBY:** rlly into her, id do her

 

 **[1:42 AM] LYANNA:** Same

 

Her thoughtless reply had prompted him to call and then an entirely awkward, yet enlightening conversation happened. Then she’d convinced him to crash on his relatives’ couch, and call her in the morning.

 

Aside from unexpected but welcome revelations, that night, and the subsequent morning, had been enough to realize he did not get along with his cousin much, most days, which is why seeing him grin shocks her now. _Unless he knows about Ms. Martell-Targaryen,_ Lyanna thinks, blinking at the stunning woman who keeps smiling at her serenely.

 

“Miss, are you a student here?”

 

Her head is shaking side to side even before she’s fully understood the question. “No, no,” she says, takes a quick look at where Robert is patting his cousin on the shoulder, waving goodbye, before taking his cellphone out to answer a call. _I’ll do that,_ she decides, _I’ll call him._ “No, I’m—” Lyanna turns back with reddened cheeks. “I came to see someone.”

 

“Oh.” There’s an odd expression on her face, what looks to be a mix of pity and exasperation, but she can't be sure. “The visiting professor, perhaps?”

 

Lyanna frowns but doesn't have the opportunity to correct her assumption, as Robert's cousin appears by their side.

 

“Elia,” says the man she now knows to be called Rhaegar Targaryen, placing a gentle hand on his wife’s shoulder and a kiss to her cheek; Lyanna had been right, he was handsome. “Robert apologizes, he won't be able to come this year.” It's then the man sets his indigo eyes on her, but the veiled appreciation ruins what would've been a thoroughly charming gaze. “And who is this young lady? Another enthusiastic student of this University?”

 

“Oh no, no, I—”

 

“I see, you came for me.” His chuckle is almost self-conscious. “That's sweet of you, but I am not giving a lecture today.”

 

Lyanna doesn't reply, simply arches an eyebrow, unimpressed; it must be a common occurrence, she concedes, to have girls fluttering around him that he assumes she is another one of them. She lets him ramble, shifting her stance a little to look over their shoulders and oh, there he is; Robert's still on his phone, though he seems to be almost done talking.

 

“You can come tomorrow, _of course,_ I'll be happy to have you there.”

 

“Um,” she blinks at this man and his disarming smile and frowns. “I'm really not…”

 

Ms. Martell-Targaryen smiles then, lifting her hand to cover it as she looks back over her own shoulder, humor dancing in her black eyes.

 

“No need to be shy, miss. I welcome all enthusiastic minds.”

 

“I'm sure you do,” Lyanna deadpans.

 

“Oh, she's not here for you, darling. We must’ve been mistaken.” Ms. Martell-Targaryen pats her husband's cheek before walking towards Robert.

 

_She noticed?_

 

Lyanna wonders how obvious she'd been in her staring, then she's gripping the strap of her bag and cursing because of it. She watches the stunning woman reach Robert's side, tap his shoulder and smile brightly at him; Robert's grin is just as bright and genuine as he hugs her, his enthusiasm lifting her off the ground for several seconds.

 

Now _that's_ what she expected of family greeting each other. Not the muted scene she'd seen before.

 

“May I have your name, miss?“

 

“What?”

 

Her lapse in attention had given Mr. Targaryen the chance to invade her personal space, but before either can utter another word, Lyanna's world is full of laughter and a solid embrace and an intoxicating musky smell she can only assume belongs to _Robert_. It's instinct what makes her wrap her arms around his shoulders, bury her face in the crook of his neck, but it's an entirely conscious move to also wrap her legs around his waist.

 

“You're here,” he says, a whisper really, right into her shoulder as his hold tighten. “Couldn't wait another week to meet?”

 

“No. It had to be now.” Her words are muffled but she hopes he hears how happy she is to be here. “Robert—”

 

“Won't you introduce us, Robert?”

 

******

 

If he weren’t so happy, Robert would snap at Rhaegar. As it is, he’s too goddamned delirious to care; Lyanna is in his arms – _Lya is wrapped around him,_ and fuck it all but it’s glorious. He takes in a deep breath, savoring her scent though he finds it hard to find the words to describe it. It reminds him of the morning after the first snow he’d witnessed after moving to The Vale, a crisp sweetness that’d clung to the air for hours after – wild and enticing.

 

“Robert.”

 

Elia’s words, he heeds. Lets Lyanna go, settling her down reluctantly, though they share a smile, nervous but genuine.

 

“Right,” he says, turns to face his cousin and his wife. “This is Lyanna, she’s… um…”

 

Mystified, he turns to ask. The question that’s hung above their heads for a while, that neither dared to discuss out of fear, however misguided. Even now, Robert won’t be the one to say it.

 

“Girlfriend,” says Lyanna, confidently as she looks up at him, daring him to deny it. “I’m his girlfriend.”

 

He grins, wrapping an arm around her shoulders and pulling her against his side. “That you are. So, um, this is Elia Martell-Targaryen and her husband, my cousin, Rhaegar Targaryen,” he adds, remembering the introductions.

 

Elia smiles fondly at them, and he grins back as he feels Lyanna press herself closer to his side. And normally, normally Robert would love to stay and chat, catch up with Elia, ask about her kids and her brothers. Would love to tell her all about his life too, but.

 

But, but, but.

 

He glances down and can’t suppress the grin.

 

“We should go, Rhaegar,” says Elia, nodding at Robert, then turns to extend her hand to Lyanna. “It was a pleasure to meet you, Lyanna.”

 

“Oh!” His Lya rushes to grab the offered hand, shaking it as she blushes more. “The pleasure was all mine.”

 

She smiles indulgently as his newly claimed girlfriend. “Robert, I hope you can make it to my birthday party.”

 

“Wouldn’t miss it for anything in the world,” he replies with a wink.

 

“Lyanna is welcome to come, too, of course,” she adds, smiling gently.

 

“Thank you so much, I’d love to go,” Lya answers in a rush.

 

Rhaegar frowns at his wife, but shrugs resignedly once he meets the raised eyebrow from her. “Oh, well, I suppose we must be going. Robert, don’t be a stranger, the kids miss you,” he says, shakes his hand firmly before turning to Lyanna. “And of course, it was a pleasure to meet you, Lyanna.”

 

“Uh, likewise, Mr. Targaryen.”

 

They watch the married couple go and, after a while, Lyanna turns to him shocked.

 

“She’s gorgeous,” she whispers, and then blushes bright red when he starts laughing, punching his shoulder. “Stop, you know she is!”

 

“Well, yes, I do know.”

 

“Your cousin is gorgeous too, though…”

 

Robert shrugs, not really caring about that anymore but of the girl still tucked under his arm. “I love this surprise, you know. But why the hurry?”

 

“I wanted to spend time with you without my whole family there judging.” She rolls her eyes. “Well, not all of them will judge. But my brothers – they’ve been waiting for this, my getting a boyfriend they could scare off.”

 

“Well, they can try,” he says, grinning at her. “I don’t scare easy.”

 

“Good, because they can be very stubborn and I’d rather enjoy our time together without having to kick their asses at every turn. It gets tiring after a while.”

 

“You’re really something,” he whispers in wonder and slowly, giving her plenty of time to stop him, he draws her close for a much awaited kiss.

 

Lyanna meets him halfway.

 

*****

 

The door closes with a definite click.

 

Robert lets her take her bag off, her jacket, before he pins her to the wall, coaxing her head back and dropping a kiss on her lips. Gently, he's no desire to scare her, overwhelm her, but as he pulls back Lyanna groans softly and chases his lips. He indulges, kissing her deeply, _harder_ , grabs her ass and lifts her up, putting more pressure to their bodies. Settling between her thighs, Robert give a tentative roll of his hips before stopping, not wanting to assume.

 

Her legs lock around his waist, heels digging into the back of his thighs as she rolls her own hips back. “Robert,” she moans, mumbles encouragements for him to keep moving in between sloppy kisses.

 

When he woke up this morning, at an ungodly hour because his phone wouldn't stop ringing, he'd never have imagined this happening. Meeting Lya before the agreed time, getting to hug her, kiss her, and—Robert had not expected this scenario to unfold for a long, long time yet. A part of him thinks, they ought to talk, maybe, isn’t that how it goes? His previous conquests, he’d at least make an effort to hear their names and some basic information before charming his way into their beds.

 

But this is Lyanna, she’s different.

 

Again, he pulls back, regretfully. “I – Lyanna,” he says, grabs her shoulders to stop her advances and why the fuck is he stopping her? “Maybe we should…”

 

She looks at him intently, a smirk pulling at her lips as her fingers trails over his shoulder and up his neck, on and on until they brush hips lips. A gentle swipe, yet his tongue sneaks out almost against his will to taste her skin. Her eyes glint smugly, then.

 

“I expected you to carry me to your bed the moment we crossed the door,” she says, the tantalizing curve of her mouth rapidly shutting down his brain. “I wonder… What’s stopping you?”

 

“Nothing,” the word falls from his lips reverently; his hands splay over her ass once more, Robert carries her to his room and throws her onto the bed before he takes off his sweater and shirt in one go. “Nothing at all.”

 

Lyanna grins and begins taking off her clothes. Her enthusiasm is charming and exciting and Robert finds himself laughing as she struggles to remove what looks to be two hoodies and an undershirt at the same time she tries to take off her shoes. She makes a noise of protest, kicking out her legs at him; he laughs harder, but grabs a foot and helps her. Her shoes come off and then he kneels between her bent legs to work on her jeans.

 

A soft groan escapes her once the hoodies slip past her head, breathless and still struggling, Lyanna whines when their eyes meet and he can't stop himself from leaning over to crush their lips together. Needy and desperate, he pushes her flat onto the sheets and traps her hands above her head with one hand while the other gets rid of the jeans with a hard tug.

 

Lyanna squirms, tempting him with her breathless whines. “Robert, I wanna touch you too…”

 

A kiss silences her, for a while, then he trails his lips down the column of her neck, stopping to lick and suck until blooms appear on her skin. Then his hand slips under her panties; a rumbling moan escapes then both.

 

“Gods, Lya,” he rasps, “ _Lya,_ you're so wet.”

 

Lyanna moans and squirms but Robert works his magic on her. Teasing and stroking her cunt, delving his fingers through her folds and up, up, up until he hits her clit. Her gasp is delicious, Robert grins smugly against her breastbone and then proceeds to mouth at her breasts through her bra. He moves his fingers over her clit, alternating between rubbing lazy circles and flicking it quickly over and over until her body shakes and arches underneath him.

 

“Let me touch you,” she says, _begs,_ struggling to free her hands from the confines of her hoodies, “let me touch you. ”

 

Robert raises to kiss her, growling low in his throat once his fingers slide easily into her. Lyanna trashes harder, his cock twitches eagerly to be inside her and feel her squeeze him for all he's worth. _Fuck,_ he thinks and works his fingers faster inside her, building another orgasm while trying to hold back on his own. The moment the heel of his hand grinds against her clit, Lyanna breaks the kiss, as a drawn-out shout tears past her reddened lips.

 

And there they remain, catching their breaths, Lyanna more so than him. Robert rests his weight onto an elbow and looks at her, marvels at how fucking beautiful she looks. Just like this, panting and squirming underneath him, blinking slowly up at him and smiling sweetly, sated; just like this, he finds he’s not had enough. So Robert tugs her underwear down over her thighs and takes a moment to sit up and pull it all the way down her legs an off. It's only a moment, but it's enough to find himself pushed onto his back.

 

Lyanna has a predatory grin on her face as she finally strips bare. “Now’s my turn, Bobby.”

 

She pecks his lips before getting to work on his neck. Going from slow, languorous kisses to licks and sucks and hard bites that will most definitely leave bruises behind. He grunts and squirms as she kisses her way down his body, fingers moving over hard planes and twitching muscles as they move skillfully to undo his pants. Robert lifts his hands to thread his fingers through her hair, but Lyanna is quick to grab a hold of each wrist and pin them to the bed.

 

“I said my turn,” her smile is truly wicked, “Robert.”

 

“ _Damn,_ girl.” Her tongue drags over his nipple, slowly, nips and sucks softly and he’s shocked by how much that makes him react. He never thought himself to be that sensitive. “Fuck, Lyanna.”

 

She grins against his skin, moves over to lave his other nipple with the same attention, making him groan and squirm and, _goddammit,_ plead. This girl – never before had Robert become such an incoherent mess in bed with a girl since he was a teen. But this girl, goddammit. Here she is leaving him a mindless mess with a few fucking kisses. The moan rips through his throat once she licks at his abs, as if there were whipped cream on him. That tantalizing tongue stroking and running over dips and swells and the ripples of muscles; he twitches, back arching up a little, and moans with longing when Lyanna stops and leans away.

 

“You’ve no idea how much I’ve wanted to do that.”

 

“Dammit, girl, I've wanted to do more but at this rate, it'll be over before we really start.”

 

She laughs and pulls down hard on his pants and boxer shorts, freeing his cock and watching stand proud for her. “I half expected you to go commando.” He'd crack a joke if Lyanna weren't going so quiet so suddenly, if she weren't smiling with a certain shyness to her now. “I've… You know I've never…”

 

 _Been with a man before,_ is what she means. They've talked about it, plenty, both among drunken conversation and cold sobriety. It's something that makes him as nervous as she feels, why he'd wanted to keep on going with the foreplay. Robert's no fumbling virgin, but he wants their time together to be good, wants this to feel the best it possibly can for her.

 

“It's ok,” he tells her, earnest, and grins. “We’ll rock this.”

 

That brings out a laugh from her. And then there it is, the tantalizing tilt of her mouth that more than once had him running for a cold shower after one of their video chats. Lyanna splays her hands over his chest and lifts herself onto her knees.

 

“Well,” she says, “let’s find out if my riding skill will serve me on this, eh, Robert?”

 

_“Damn, girl.”_

 

And it’s a tortuous thing.

 

His hands move to grab onto her hips, not wanting her to think he’ll rush her or anything, he simply hold onto her as Lyanna reached down between their bodies and wraps her hand around his cock, giving it an experimental stroke. Robert moans, can’t stop his hips from jerking up. It’s the curious look on her face what makes him shudder, the wonder lurking in her grey eyes as she moves her hand again, adding a twist and squeezing him some. The moan escapes him again and, dammit all, but it’s all he can do to wrestle control and not spill like an inexperienced teen in her hand – but then he meets her gaze, catches the dilated pupils and, in a rush, sits up.

 

“Fuck, Lyanna.”

 

“Yes?”

 

She looks so damn innocent and adorable like this, how in the seven hells is that possible? She’s naked and straddling his lap and has a hold on his goddamned cock and she still looks like the purest little thing in this world. He kisses her again, long and hard, until she’s wrapping her arms around his shoulder and squirming deliciously on his lap.

 

“Let’s…” He smirks, nips her bottom lip and pulls on it gently. “Put those riding skills to good use, yeah?”

 

She licks her lips but nods. Once more Lyanna reaches down, she breathes out a soft curse as she aligns herself over his cock and begins to sink on him.

 

“Oh…” she breathes out, eyes fluttering.

 

Robert swallows, bites his bottom lip and grips her hips harder in an attempt to keep still, not thrust up eagerly. Gods, but she feels so fucking good, so fucking amazing, and before he realizes it he's whispering all kind of sweet nothings and utterly filthy things against the skin of her neck. Lyanna chuckles, shimmies her hips once and then drops until he bottoms out.

 

“Fuck,” the word is definitely a moan, and he _can't,_ can't believe how vocal he's been this whole time. “Fuck me.”

 

Lyanna smirks, a wicked, wicked thing, and wiggles her bottom. “I'm working on it.”

 

So she is, a slow rocking motion that quickly drives him wild, has him voicing his appreciation rather loud. He's forced onto his back, Lyanna braces her hands on his chest and picks up the pace, up and down, up and down, Robert swears the world around them vanishes as all he can see is her sated smile and bouncing breasts. All he can feel is the flutter of her around his cock, squeezing until his sight whites out.

 

“You feel so good,” he breathes out, feeling like he's about to collapse from running a marathon. “So fucking good.”

 

“ _You_ – you too.”

 

She shudders, a tremble he feels to the last of his fiber. Lyanna moans, long and drawn-out, hips breaking her rhythm and rocking at an angle he vaguely notes might help her hit the perfect spot. Eyes closed and mouth hanging open in ecstasy, she a vision – and he won't last. Robert sits up again, manages to move his thumb over her clit and presses firmly onto it. Her response is glorious and when Lyanna arches up, he latches onto her left nipple.

 

He comes before her, by a long shot, but the moment she begins spasming around his cock he can't help it. But Robert holds onto enough of his wit to see that she unravels in his arms before collapsing back with a tired groan.

 

“I… fucking wow,” it's all Robert can say, in between gasps and deep breaths and the random shiver running through his body as he notes she's still riding her orgasm.

 

Lyanna lets out a soft whimper when she rolls off him to curl more comfortably into his side. “Is that… is that a compliment?”

 

He laughs in disbelief because, what else could it be? “Give me time to recover… I'll fucking worship you.”

 

“That good?” She asks, genuinely curious as she props herself onto an elbow to look at him.

 

Grinning at her it's all he can do. “Sure felt that good to me.”

 

Lyanna grins back. “I'm glad.”

 

Robert rolls onto his side, wrapping himself around her amidst protest that he's squishing her. It takes them a moment to rearrange themselves so he's spooning her, and then they relax. He trails his fingers in a circle around her navel and Lyanna, the little minx, squirms and presses her rump back into him claiming she's ticklish.

 

“Was it good for you?” He asks at last.

 

“It was… _good,_ yeah.” She yawns then, a lazy smile on her face, and rolls over to nuzzle his chest. “‘Twas very, _very_ good.”

 

He watches her close her eyes, snuggle into him, and eventually fall asleep. Robert presses a kiss to the top of her head and decides to follow along.

 

A quick nap sounds like a good idea now.


	3. the end

Lyanna wakes slowly, blinking against the light filtering through the partially closed curtains. It takes her a moment to realize what woke her, a moment and a half to realize she's alone in a stranger's room.

 

Robert's room.

 

_ That's right, _ comes the thought,  _ I'm in The Vale. _ It's hazy, but she remembers Robert waking her up at some point to tell her something, but she can't remember. That's when she hears it again, the distinct sound of her ringtone. Sitting up, it takes no time to notice her clothes neatly folded in a corner of the bed, her bag next to them.

 

Her phone rings again.

 

With a groan, she scoots over and searches into her bag until she finds it. She barely swipes over the screen to answer when Dacey’s voice greets her.

 

_ “Should I get ready for your walk of shame?” _

 

“There won't be any walk of shame. That only applies to one night stands.”

 

Dacey laughs.  _ “And how would you know? You've never had one!” _

 

She scoffs. “You remember my brother Brandon, yeah?”

 

_ “Oh yeah, the hottest Stark.” _

 

“If you say so.”

 

_ “Don’t get grumpy, you know you’re the cutest Stark!” _ There's a longish pause and then—  _ “So, how was it?” _

 

Lyanna considers not answering, but knows Dacey would ask and ask until she got an answer. So she says, “mind-blowing,” and can't even stop the grin from appearing.

 

_ “Did you tell him that?” _

 

“Of course not.”

 

_ “Good. Your boy toy seems like a confident guy, so there’s no need to say it. Also no man needs his ego inflated.” _

 

“Well—” Her phone rings again, this time due to her dying battery. “Dacey, hang on, I need my charger. I'll call you back.”

 

_ “Hurry, I want all the dirty details!” _

 

Her laughter echoes as she hangs up. Lyanna manages to get her charger from the depths of her bag and plugs her phone in by his bed. Before calling Dacey back, she takes a moment to go to the bathroom, and is grateful to find it without having to open all the doors in the hallway. Once she's taken care of her business and washed up, she goes back into his room and stands awkwardly for a second before slipping back into the bed. She's still kinda tired and going back to sleep sounds tempting, but she also should find out if her family had noticed her absence.

 

“Dacey,” she says once her called is answered. “Have you heard anything from my family?”

 

_ “Mmmm, Benjen called, asking if you were here. As per your wishes, I told him the truth.” _

 

“He's my partner in crime,” says Lyanna with an amused upturn of her lips. “He needs to know.”

 

_ “He’s a nice kid,” _ the amusement comes through in her voice.  _ “He sounded mostly exasperated by your stunt, but said he'd try to placate Brandon.” _

 

“It didn't work, did it?”

 

_ “You know your brothers better than me, Lya, what do you think?” _

 

She sighs in resignation. Knowing Brandon, he could've been anything from perfectly polite and borderline rude. “I hope he wasn't a prat.”

 

_ “Only to Benjen, as far as I heard.” _

 

Lyanna is ready to reply, ask about Ned, when she hears the front door open and close, followed by a call of her name. A call to which she replies and Dacey goes quiet on the other side of the line. Robert appears soon enough, a smile on his face that quickly morphs into a predatory smirk once he finds her still in his bed.

 

Still naked.

 

She can practically feel Dacey’s smirk as she asks,  _ “Your boy toy’s there?” _

 

“He's not my boy toy,” she means to protest, but the words come out breathless. “He's…”

 

Robert's in a suit.

 

She knew he worked, of course such thing came up in one of their endless conversations. But seeing the evidence of it now – it makes her blood hum in appreciation. He presents a striking image, tall and broad, all slick lines and sharp angles; she's never thought much of men in suits and, it seems, she only needed an specific man to see the appeal.

 

And boy, does she sees it.

 

_ “Lyanna?” _

 

“Um…”

 

Jacket goes off, then the tie and the white button-down shirt. She thinks a soft moan escapes her, but Lyanna can't be sure. It's like watching a much awaited present unwrap itself. An incredibly tempting, incredibly sexy present. His belt follows, all of it discarded carelessly, and Robert's climbing onto the bed.

 

“Oh…”

 

_ “Please tell me you aren't having sex while still on the phone!” _

 

“No! I—”

 

Robert grabs her wrist, kisses her deeply once before turning to the phone. “Hello, Dacey.”

 

_ “He sounds predatory,” _ Dacey laughs,  _ “does he look predatory?” _

 

He takes the sheets off her, grabs the phone from her hand, and says, “goodbye, Dacey.”

 

Phone's discarded, Robert kisses her lips one more time, and then dives to settle between her legs.

 

Her affirmative answer comes out as a breathless moan.

 

*****

 

When was the last time she'd spent a weekend in bed?

 

Pretty sure it was around the time she'd begun having sex with Dacey, the novelty of it making them both want to explore as much as they could. It'd been nearly four years since. Lyanna would like to say this time is much like that first weekend, but it isn’t. Nothing is remotely close to that first time other than she’s as eager to pounce on her partner as she’d been back then. There’d been no actual leaving the bedroom with Dacey, as there had only been  _ a bedroom _ , whereas Robert has his own apartment and seems determined to have his way with her everywhere in here.

 

She enables him, encourages him,  _ hells,  _ Lyanna is as enthusiastic to have her way with him.

 

There’d also been no lounging around in a kitchen while wearing only one a baggy shirts; Dacey is a tall woman but she liked form-fitting clothes, so it’d not been an option then. Now it is and what a cliché thing to  _ do, _ but it’s something she always said she wanted to do if she got the chance.

 

So here she is, wearing Robert’s white button-down, and sitting on his kitchen table.

 

“You know, I haven't been this horny since I lost my virginity,” Robert says, an echo of her thoughts as he hands her a plate filled with scrambled eggs and bacon. “I've half a mind to skip the actual food and have  _ you  _ for brunch.”

 

“Well,” she smirks and wiggles her eyebrows, legs swinging back and forth, “I'm already  _ on  _ the table.”

 

“Damn, girl.”

 

Reaching out with her legs, Lyanna hooks her heels on his hips and pulls him closer.

 

“It's better if we actually have food first,” he says, though by the way his eyes rove over what naked skin is on display, he won't be opposed to skipping a meal again. “So we don't tire.”

 

“Need the energy, grandpa?”

 

“Brat,” he says, slapping her thigh. “You're only five years younger.”

 

She still laughs. “You're the one who can't keep up with me, Bobby!”

 

He’s taken a bite of his eggs, so he considers thoughtfully, swallows, and nods.

 

Before Lyanna can react, the plates are clattering dangerously close to the edge of the table, and her vision is going white.

 

*****

 

“We should get up soon,” his voice is soft and raspy from sleep, and Lyanna loves how it feels as she presses her ear to his back. “We've a train to catch.”

 

“Don' wanna.”

 

Sometime during the night, they must have shifted their positions, but she still finds it curious Robert ended up lying face down while she literally climbed onto him to lay on his back. Muscled as he is, Robert's surprisingly comfy to sleep on. She's about to doze off again when a phone begins to buzz, then ring.

 

“That's yours,” he says.

 

Lyanna groans and snuggles closer to him. “Who is it?”

 

She's got her eyes closed, so only feels him move and shift as he reaches over the nightstand for her phone.

 

“It says ‘Broddard’.”

 

“Gimme.”

 

Ned, of course he'd be the one to persist on texting her. Lyanna sits up to check all the messages she has and those, those are a lot. All three of her brothers, Dacey, even her parents. She cringes, wondering if she should have done as Dacey suggested and let someone know, someone other than her, that is. But no one really knows about Robert, not the real extent of it anyway; her mother knows there's someone she likes, but assumed it was a classmate. Not an older guy from The Vale.

 

With a sigh, she opens the first chat, her mother's.

 

**[7:00 AM] MAMA WOLF:** Sweetling, I've given you  _ days  _ to contact me and explain your sudden disappearance. No more.

 

**[7:00 AM] MAMA WOLF:** If you're with this boy you like, let me tell you, I am not amused. He's already earned some negative points for this, from me and your father.

 

**[7:00 AM] MAMA WOLF:** I've spoken to Dacey, so I know you're not with her. Call me now, Lyanna. Don't make this worse than it is.

 

“What time does the train leave?”

 

Robert shifts and turns until he's lying on his back, hands grabbing her thighs as she straddles his waist now. “In about two hours.”

 

“Eleven then.”

 

**[8:57 AM] LYANNA:** Hey, mama, sorry for leaving without a word, but

 

**[8:57 AM] LYANNA:** Coming here was important.

 

**[8:57 AM] MAMA WOLF:** Where are you?

 

She doesn't get to reply, as her mother decides to call her instead. There's no getting out of it.

 

“Mama.”

 

Robert grins at her.

 

_ “Lyanna. You better have a good reason for this.” _

 

_ I do, _ she thinks, staring at the man lying comfortably beneath her. He's a good reason. But how can she articulate that? How can she explain something she barely understands herself? “I  _ really like  _ him.”

 

She hopes her tone conveys what she really means.

 

Robert props himself up onto his elbows and she misses the contact of his hands on her skin; his gaze feels heavy, piercing, as if he’s trying to unveil her deepest secrets, and a part of her actually wants to let him. That part really, really wants to, and with every second she’s more inclined to just do it.

 

_ “You really like him.” _ There’s a long pause which she endures with baited breath.  _ “As you used to really like Dacey, as you really like riding and fencing?” _

 

Lyanna blinks, reaches out with her hand and strokes his scruffy cheek, eyes fluttering when Robert turns his head and kisses the palm of her hand. “Yes, Mama.”

 

_ “Lyanna, the last time you pulled a stunt like this—” _ Her mother sighs, clearly remembering the weekend she’d disappeared to spend with Dacey.  _ “Is this the same?” _

 

“Yeah…”

 

_ “Gods be good, but you and Brandon are responsible for every grey hair I possess.” _ There’s some grumbling then, and far off, she can hear her father asking about her. The following words are muffled and Lyanna can only imagine her mother covering the mic of her phone for some privacy.  _ “Your father wants you and… your boyfriend… to be here in an hour.” _

 

That makes her cringe, makes Robert look at he askance.

 

“That won’t be possible,” Lyanna says, biting her lips when Robert smirks at her and lets his tongue sneak out, curling it around her fingers. It brings to mind things she’d rather not think about while on the phone with her mother, so she rolls off him. “Literally impossible.”

 

_ “I’ll come pick you up, now. Where—” _

 

“No, mama. Even if you drive, it’ll take you about a day and a half to get where I am.”

 

Robert rolls over, too, to lie on his side. He smirks and moves his hand to smooth it over her thigh, up and down, and then trails his fingers up, up, up—the cheeky bastard skips his intended goal when she glares at him. He contents himself with drawing random patterns on the skin of her belly.

 

_ “Lyanna,” _ her mother hisses. In the back, she can hear father demanding to know what happened.  _ “Where did you run off to?” _

 

“The Vale.”

 

The following pause is the longest. Robert takes her distraction as an opportunity to nuzzle his way to her bellybutton, biting the skin beneath it softly, before kissing a path up her abdomen. Lyanna is swatting his shoulders in reprimand when she’s startled enough to sit up abruptly.

 

_ “Explain yourself, young lady!” _

 

“Dad!”

 

She scoots to the edge of the bed, finally in peace as Robert gives her an apologetic smile and leaves the room, grabbing a pair of sweatpants on the way. There’s a brief commotion before her mother is back on the phone.

 

_ “Lyanna…” _

 

“Is he too angry?” She asks, frowning.

 

_ “He’s livid.” _

 

Lyanna hums. “Will you be too angry once I tell you how I met him?”

 

_ “I am not going to like this, am I?” _ Her mother sighs, resignation clear as she asks,  _ “How did you two meet?” _

 

“He sent me a text by mistake. Another woman gave him a fake number which… turned out to be mine.”

 

Another hiss, her phone starts buzzing with incoming messages, but she dares not look. She knows it's not her father, he much prefers to yell at people in person, so it can't be him. Waits for her mother to talk again; Lyanna hopes for the best.

 

_ “How… Gods be good, Lyanna, how many times—” _

 

“We’ve been talking for months! I promise he’s not a stranger!” She sighs, and fidgets nervously as if her mother were looking at her disapprovingly now. “I promise it wasn’t a spur of the moment thing for me.” Which is a lie, because the trip here was definitely a snap decision. “We gotten to know each other very well, Mama. Dacey can tell you, she knows most of it.”

 

_ “Most.” _

 

“Well, there are things I can’t say… personal stuff Robert’s told me that are only for me to know.”

 

_ “So he has a name.” _

 

Lyanna rolls her eyes, mildly grateful no one is around to see it. “Haha. Of course he has a name, Mama.”

 

If her mother were less controlled, she'd be yelling in frustration.  _ “I don’t like this, Lyanna. I taught you better than to let a phone dictate how you interact with people—” _

 

“I know! But…” Gods, but what can she say? Nothing her mother is pointing out is  _ wrong, _ some of it are the same concerns she had to begin with. But time had effectively eroded those; time and the hours upon hours spent video-chatting and talking and confiding in him.  _ “I really like him.” _

 

_ “Your father won’t approve this any more than I do, I hope you understand that. This is not…” _

 

“Yes, I know, I know. But can you at least be nice?” She hears Robert moving around in his kitchen and, as if on cue, her stomach growls. “We’ll be there by supper tomorrow, maybe later. If there’s no delay with the train. Dacey promised to pick us up,” she says, adding the last bit in a rush.

 

Something, she hopes, Dacey won’t mind doing.

 

_ “Very well, sweetling. We'll wait for you.” _

 

“Will you be nice?” Lyanna asks again. “I'm sorry I left without telling you, but don't take it out on him. Please.”

 

Had this conversation happened with her father, Lyanna knows she'd be more on the defensive. Knows she'd be defying his every word, not at all regretful. Which would definitely work against her, and Robert, at this moment.

 

_ “I will. And I'll try to mellow your father out.” _

 

“Thanks, Mama.”

 

_ “Prepare your boyfriend for the worst, just in case.” _

 

They say their goodbyes just as Robert appears at the door, announcing that breakfast is ready.

 

They make a quick thing of it, eat, clean up, shower and getting dressed. In an hour they're ready to go to the train station, with plenty of time to spare. Lyanna skims over the rest of the messages on the way there.

 

Benjen's latest texts are from the day before, mostly a plea to never pull another stunt of this kind without giving him a warning:

 

**[8:23 PM] LITTLE BRO:** you know I'm not good lying on short notice. Mom could tell something was up the moment I stuttered.

 

**[8:23 PM] LITTLE BRO:** Dad is livid.

 

**[8:23 PM] LITTLE BRO:** the only reason why he's not on the way to wherever it is you are, it's because no one but Dacey knows.

 

**[8:24 PM] LITTLE BRO:** he's not gonna demand answers from her.

 

Lyanna frowns at that, knowing perfectly well Dad would prefer to pretend Dacey didn't exist, if he could find a way to do that and still be polite. She hates it, hates that he could never understand her relationship with Dacey, not even now, after years of it ending. Hates that she had to find out that way about all of his prejudices.

 

**[10:13 AM] LYANNA:** I'm on my way. I'll be there in two days, at the latest.

 

**[10:13 AM] LYANNA:** And Mom knows where I am. Now.

 

**[10:14 AM] LITTLE BRO:** prepare your boy toy for the worst. Brandon swore he'd do some serious bodily harm.

 

**[10:14 AM] LYANNA:** Brandon can try.

 

Just because of that, Lyanna skips those messages, marking them as ‘read’ to annoy her big brother. She also skips Dacey’s, a brief glimpse it's all she needs to know she'd rather not read them with Robert sitting next to her. Lyanna does ask if she can pick them up, and waits for the affirmative, before moving on to Ned.

 

**[10:20 AM] LYANNA:** I hope you prepared Catelyn before introducing her to Grandma Arya.

 

**[10:20 AM] BRODDARD:** Grandma liked her. It was fine.

 

**[10:20 AM] BRODDARD:** Don't ignore my other messages. Lya, Father is livid. So is Brandon, even Mother. Though she's calmed down by now.

 

**[10:21 AM] BRODDARD:** She's still very angry.

 

**[10:21 AM] LYANNA:** I know. I've talked to her.

 

**[10:21 AM] LYANNA:** I heard Dad screaming in the background. Tell Brandon to behave, or else.

 

**[10:22 AM] BRODDARD:** He'll behave once you stop pulling your disappearing stunts.

 

**[10:22 AM] LYANNA:** You make it sounds as it's an everyday occurrence.

 

**[10:22 AM] BRODDARD:** You did it often enough while you dated Dacey. It's one of the reasons why Father disapproved so much of your relationship.

 

She doesn’t realize she's growling until Robert pinches her cheek, distracting her.

 

“Should I have a talk with them for making you angry?”

 

His grin is contagious and Lyanna marvels at how easy it is to forget her sour mood when Robert's here.  _ It's only been a couple of days, _ she thinks,  _ it's just the novelty of it. _

 

“My family’s being difficult, is all,” she says. “Prepare for the worst.”

 

“Will do.”

 

She wants to tell him she's not joking, but the cab stops and Robert's pulling her out after paying, then they both hurry to board the train. Lyanna is so used to ignoring what she considers to be irrational complaints from her brothers that by the time they find their seats, she's forgotten all about it. She has enough presence of mind to fire one last text to Ned saying her phone is dying to get him off her back, before turning it off and pushing it all to the very back of her head.

 

*****

 

The train ride in mostly uneventful.  _ Mostly. _ They talk and joke and flirt and, when they can get away with it, make our in their seats or in the cramped bathroom. Were it possible, she and Robert would've hooked up in the bathroom, but cramped,  _ really, _ is putting it mildly.

 

Not once does she think of what’ll greet her once she reaches home. Of her brothers or parents, the whole Stark clan awaiting them. She thinks briefly of Dacey and considers more than once to fire a quick text to update her of the time of arrival, to remind her, but really, this man, with his cheeky smile and laughing eyes, keeps driving her to distraction.

 

The last stretch of the trip is spent napping, and in hindsight not the best idea since they'll be arriving at midnight by the looks of it, but her nerves were eating at her and Lyanna is not accustomed to sit idly pondering her options.  _ And since a quickie is out of the question in the stupid, cramped bathroom. _ So Robert naps, and so does she, occasionally.

 

Until they're finally stepping off the train, into the familiar cold air of the North.

 

“Home sweet home.”

 

“Fuck me, it's cold.” Robert pouts when she breaks down laughing, tugging his coat tighter around his shaking frame and stomping his feet. “Not funny, Lya, I'm freezing my ass off here!”

 

She laughs harder, but still rushes into his arms and places a kiss under his chin. “And it's such a cute ass,” she replies, tongue-in-cheek. “You'll get used to it. Eventually.”

 

He grumbles a bit more before he grabs their bags and they set off in search of Dacey.

 

“You know, sometimes you remind me of my friend.”

 

Lyanna looks around the mostly deserted parking lot before turning back to Robert. “What?”

 

“He's also fond of the cold.”

 

“Your friend seems like he knows what's up,” she says, smirking.

 

“I've a feeling you'll get along.”

 

“You'd introduce me?” She's surprised, justly, because for all Robert speaks of this friend as if they were brothers, this mysterious Ned, the opportunity to meet him hasn't presented itself, not like she did with Dacey. “For real?”

 

“Yeah, I would.” A smile and a tender kiss and he's making her wish for a secluded place  _ already. _ “He'll love you, his girlfriend too.”

 

“I can't wait.”

 

“He's from here too, you know?” He says, looking around, and beyond the parking lot to what can be glimpsed of her hometown. Then he turns a speculative glance in her direction, and hums. “Actually, now that I think about it, maybe you even  _ know _ him, his full name—”

 

“There you are, Lyanna!!”

 

They shout startles them, but Lyanna is quick to turn and grin and run and nearly tackle the person to the ground. Dacey laughs and hugs her back and manages to lift her off her feet for a few moments. Then she’s placing her back on solid ground, then she’s smirking and looking over her head; Lyanna turns to find Robert fighting back a smirk of his own and he approaches them slowly.

 

That makes her suspicious. “What?”

 

“What?”

 

“Robert,” she huffs, “why are you smirking?”

 

Once he’s by her side, smirk fully on display, he says, “you’ve got a type.”

 

Dacey snorts, once, and then laughs out loud, to her shock, because she most certainly  _ does not have a type! _

 

“Oh gods, you’re right! She  _ does _ have a type!”

 

“I do not!”

 

They both grin at her, and once Dacey moves closer to stand by Robert’s side, nearly reaching his chin, she elaborates. “Look at us, and remember all those people you’ve had a passing crush on?”

 

Lyanna squirms uncomfortably, not really wanting to admit to anything. “So what?”

 

“Tall, dark, and hot af?”

 

And there it is, the stupid blush. “I thought it was tall, dark  _ and broody.” _

 

“You bring enough brooding into any relationship so,” Dacey chimes in, “only the tall and dark parts are missing.”

 

“Yup.” Robert drops his bag and is quick to wrap his arm around her waist, lifting her off her feet with considerably more ease than Dacey. “You’re also hot af, so that just a plus, eh? But, Lya,” he drawls, bringing her closer until he’s within kissing distance,  _ “you so have a type.” _

 

“Alright, lovebirds, let’s get moving,” says Dacey, nodding to where she’d parked her car. “I’ve got an early day tomorrow and the sooner you two get through the storm that awaits you, the better the hols will be.”

 

Robert nods, puts her down and bends to pick up his bag, and together, they walk to the car.

 

“Have they tried to contact you?”

 

“Only the hottest Stark.”

 

“His current girlfriend must’ve stayed home.” Lyanna rolls her eyes. “I swear, this is so unnecessary.”

 

“I’ve a question, Ms. Mormont,” Robert cuts in, after putting the bags in the trunk of the car.

 

Dacey grimaces a little. “Please, just Dacey.”

 

“Robert Baratheon,” he replies, extending his hands. “A pleasure to meet you.”

 

“Yes, yes, the famous Robert Baratheon,” she shakes his hand, a sort of approving glint in her eyes. “The pleasure is mine, and please, spare me the coming retort. Your question?”

 

“You say the hottest Stark, as in, someone other than Lyanna? Hard to believe, if I’m being honest here.”

 

“Smooth, Robert Baratheon, very smooth, also very charming.” Dacey’s smile turns sharp and teasing. “I wonder why, since you’ve already gotten into her pants.”

 

Lyanna huffs, unimpressed. “Really?”

 

“I’ll have you know,” Robert begins, “that getting into her pants was not my ultimate goal. Also, I can’t turn off the charm, comes with the package.”

 

“Ah, yes, the  _ whole _ package—”

 

“Can we please—” Lyanna has to interrupt; she knows Robert has a thick skin and will most likely find Dacey straightforwardness amusing, but there’s only so much embarrassment that she can take when her anxiety is wrecking havoc in her. “I don’t want to give my parents more reasons to be angry.”

 

It’s actually a bit of a shock, having them hit it off right away, but, in hindsight, she should’ve expected it. Their personalities are similar in many aspects, but Lyanna still expected some tension there because, well… ex-girlfriend meeting the new boyfriend is  _ weird. _ A part of her rebels at the idea, because they’re not dramatic teenagers anymore so  _ it really shouldn’t be weird. _ But still, there’s that tiny bit of her that still waits for the other shoe to drop.

 

They get in the car and are soon on their way to her house. She tells Robert what she can of Winterfell, which is not much since, even being the capital of the North, it’s still pretty quiet in the night. A bit ironic, considering Wintertown, the neighborhood on the south border of the city, is full of live at all times.  _ There’s a reason why Brandon loves it there. _ Lyanna doesn’t need to dig further to understand what it is her brother likes of the place.  _ He’s not exactly subtle about it. _

 

“You’re staying at your place then?”

 

“Don’t have much of a choice,” she says, grimacing. “I wouldn’t put it past Dad to put a leash on me.”

 

“You know, Lyanna,” Robert scoots closer to the front seats to smile at her. “It’s really no problem, I can look for a place to stay. There’s no need to antagonize your parents any more than—”

 

“No, really, there’s plenty of room.” She really,  _ really _ doesn’t want to spend the following nights away from Robert, even if, logically speaking, they won’t be sharing a room. “It’ll be fine.”

 

“If it comes down to the worst possible scenario, he can always crash on my couch,” Dacey offers, just as they’re pulling up on her parent’s driveway. “And so can you.”

 

“It’ll be  _ fine. _ So long as everyone behaves—”

 

And again, they both smirk at her.

 

“You?”

 

“Behave?”

 

Lyanna growls,  _ “stop.” _

 

“You’re cute when you get angry, Lya.”

 

“Isn’t she? The cutest.”

 

The front door opens suddenly, and there stands her mother. Lyanna leans over to hug Dacey goodbye, placing a quick kiss on her cheek before scrambling out of the car and rushing up the short stairs and into her mother’s arms. She hears Robert laugh and say his goodbyes to Dacey, who drives away after calling out her greetings.

 

Mom chooses that moment to pull back, and give her a  _ look. _

 

_ “I’m sorry,” _ she whines, suddenly feeling like a misbehaving child, conveniently ignores that she’s been exactly that. “I promise it won’t happen again.”

 

“Oh, it will most definitely never happen again.”

 

Well, damn.

 

“You must be Robert,” says Mom, moving her aside and stepping forward as she extends her hand. “Lyarra Stark.”

 

“Robert Baratheon.” He gives her a dashing smile, a small bow, but instead of shaking her hand, he goes and kissed the back of it. “Ma’am, it’s an absolute pleasure to finally meet you.” Then he straightens up, smile widens and, there it is, his one dimple. “Forgive my forwardness, and the cheesiness of my following statement, but now it’s startlingly clear where Lyanna gets her astounding beauty from.”

 

Mom lifts an eyebrow, a smile threatens to break free on her face despite her attempts at neutrality. “Oh, I’ll say… what a charmer.”

 

He grins, unrepentant.

 

_ Damn, Bobby, tone it down. _

 

“You’ll have to do better than that, I’m afraid, if you wish to be in my good graces.” Mom smiles pleasantly, even if her words were not, in Lyanna’s opinion. “Getting my daughter to disappear for nearly a week is not something I’ll be forgetting any time soon.”

 

“And I don’t expect you to.” Now that,  _ that  _ shocks Mom completely. “Feel free to put all the blame on me, if you want.”

 

“That’s very gallant of you.” And,  _ bless, _ this time the smile is completely genuine. “Now, please come in. It’s late and we’ll have an early start tomorrow, so it’s better to show Robert where he’ll be staying.”

 

Lyanna knows it’s unlikely, but she can’t stop herself from asking. “Can he—?”

 

“No.”

 

Or at least try to ask.

 

The stop by the stairs, where Mom tells her she should go to bed, that she would show Robert to the guest room. Lyanna pouts but takes her bag from him and smiles as she watches Mother lead him down the hallway towards the downstairs guest room.  _ Honestly, it’s not like I’ll sneak into his room. _ Which might be a little bit of a lie, if she’s honest with herself, and might also have her reconsider declining Dacey’s offer.  _ It’ll be fine. _

 

She still thinks a good night kiss is in order.

 

So she takes off down the hallway after throwing her bag up the stairs.

 

“So, you said your last name is Baratheon?”

 

“Yes, ma’am.”

 

“Curious, my—” Sentence cut off short, Mom looks severely at her once she notices her coming. “Lyanna.”

 

Robert turns to her, curious.

 

“I want my good night kiss,” she says, head tilted to the side and trying to look as innocent as humanly possible.

 

Mom is not amused; Robert is way too much.

 

“Just a quick kiss, and I’ll go to my room,” she adds, shuffling closer to her still very new boyfriend.

 

Robert manages to both exceed expectations and disappoint. He grabs her hand and kisses it, ask her mother  _ for permission _ and doesn’t move a single muscle until it’s granted. And then he cups her face gently and  _ almost, almost, here comes my kiss, _ he presses his lips to her forehead.

 

“Good night, Lya,” he whispers before stepping back.

 

“We’ll leave you to settle, Robert. Bathroom’s at the end of the hallway.”

 

“Thank you, ma’am, have a good night.”

 

“You too.”

 

“Good night, Bobby!”

 

It's all she manages before her mother is shepherding her towards the stairs. Lyanna sighs, but trots up, taking the steps two at a time, and picks up her discarded bag. She straightens up only to come face to face with her stern-looking father.

 

“Rickard…”

 

“The boy's settled then?”

 

The frown takes over before she can stop it, hackles raised, Lyanna braces herself for a fight. “Yeah, so what?”

 

Dad hisses angrily, just as she feels a hand at her shoulder.

 

“To bed, young lady.”

 

Lyanna nods but doesn't drop the glare, and marches off to her room. Her bag takes the brunt of her anger as she throws it to a corner, then flops onto her bed, resisting the urge to grab a pillow and scream into it.  _ Gods  _ but her father never failed to make her feel defensive.

 

“Lyanna, I'll have a word with you.”

 

_ But of course he'll have the last word. _ “Yes?”

 

Mom is nowhere in sight and a part of Lyanna wishes she were if only to stop this conversation to escalate. Another part really wants to have it out already.

 

“Know that it's only due to your mother that I'm allowing the boy to—”

 

“His name is Robert,” she says, barely controlling her annoyance.

 

“Do  _ not _ interrupt me, Lyanna,” it's a command. “I'm being very generous by even allowing his presence within my home, to participate in our family’s  _ tradition  _ after what he did—”

 

There’s no stopping the crack in her composure then. “He didn't do anything!”

 

“I thought I said—”

 

“No!” She jumps to her feet, defiant. “You can't blame him for something I did!”

 

Her father growls at her, with that condescension that never fails to rile her up. “An older man lured my daughter away—”

 

“He's Brandon's age, for fuck’s sake! And I'm not an idiot child to be lured—”

 

“Enough with the interruptions!”

 

“Enough with trying to demonize him!”

 

“A bit louder and our guests will hear you clearly.” Mom’s voice is soft, but cuts across the ruckus and the tension effectively; her severe glance is a terrifying thing to behold, even Dad has the decency to look away from it. “Rickard, you said you’d remain calm.”

 

“I would’ve if she’d not reacted like an insolent child,” he replies, an unforgiving edge to his voice that once more has her yearning to snap back.

 

If Mom weren’t present, of course.

 

Yet, she will not keep silent. “He’s no right to badmouth Robert.”

 

“I’ve  _ every  _ right—”

 

_ “Enough,” _ Mom snaps. “Both of you. Dear, please,” a beseeching look, and Dad is nodding at her, before leaving without so much of a good night. Then her mother turns to her, an exasperated sigh escaping her. “Why is it  _ always _ you and Brandon the ones giving me headaches?”

 

“Why is it only  _ me _ that Dad nags so much? How’s that fair?”

 

Mom pushes her until they’re both sitting in her bed, tucking a lock of hair behind her ear. “You’re his only daughter, he worries.”

 

“He’s unreasonable.”

 

The look she gets in return says it all, and Lyanna flops back onto her bed with a groan. It’s not like she can deny it, Lyanna is well aware of her shortcomings, she just… isn’t going to admit to them. Not  _ now. _

 

“Sleep well, sweetling, tomorrow will be a long day.”

 

With a pat on her cheek, Mom leaves her alone, and finally, Lyanna sets to get ready for bed, longing for a good night of sleep.

 

Unfortunately, her mother is too right, and she fails at not being the cause of her headaches.

 

******

 

It’s the cold hitting his bare back unexpectedly what wakes him, but the warm body suddenly rolling him over and laying on him what throws him for a loop.  _ Where—? _ Robert feels disoriented, though is quick to return the kiss imposed on him because  _ Lyanna. _ He groans and grabs her eagerly, flipping their positions and getting lost in the feelings of her gladly.

 

Until he remembers where they  _ are. _

 

Robert jerks back, sitting up and looking towards the door wildly.

 

“Relax, I locked it.”

 

He laughs breathlessly. “That doesn’t make me feel better.” Lyanna pouts and grabs his shoulders, pulling him back onto her, or trying to, but he resists. “You’ll be the death of me.”

 

“I won't,” she replies, biting her bottom lip, tempting, “now come get it, Bobby.”

 

_ Fuck. _

 

Lyanna sits up, chasing him, crawls onto his lap and proceeds to wipe all rational thought from his head. Her lips an addictive and effective thing that she enjoys using against him. Distantly, he feels his body reacting, responding; his hands slip under her pajama top, savoring her response to his caresses. And he wants to, he really wants to get carried away, and do as she says.

 

How good will that be?

 

_ Too fucking good. _

 

Robert stops and removes his hands from under her top, grabs her wrists and pushes her away.

 

_ “Robert…” _

 

“We can't, you know we can't.”

 

“The doors closed—”

 

“And yours?”

 

She pouts.

 

“Lya, your parents already have me on thin ice.” And damn but it's hard to keep the shit-eating grin off his face since he already did pretty much everything they would kill him for to their daughter. “I don't really want to antagonize them further. I don't want to disrespect them.”

 

She scoff, to his eternal amusement. “You don't strike me as the kind of man to care about that.”

 

“And you're right,” he admits. “But this is different, you're different. Lya, you're not just another notch on my belt.”

 

That makes her pause, smile, and she pulls him in for a heart-stopping kiss before moving away. “Good,” she rasps, and then hurries to get out of the room.

 

Robert can do nothing but stare after her, smirking. “Damn, girl.”

 

Knowing it’ll take a while for him to go to sleep, if he slept at all now, he grabs his phone and fires a quick text to Ned.

 

**[1:56 AM] ROBERT:** Ned, my maaaan, u awake?

 

**[1:56 AM] ROBERT:** Guess not

 

**[1:56 AM] ROBERT:** So i guess i’ll ramble here till i get sleepy

 

**[1:56 AM] ROBERT:** Or till you wake up and reply

 

**[1:57 AM] ROBERT:** Ned, i know i’ve been MIA for a lil bit

 

**[1:57 AM] BRO FROM ANOTHER MOM:** Try days. That’d be closer to the reality.

 

Robert smirks, knowing Ned would not resist replying after getting radio silence from him for near on three days.

 

**[1:57 AM] BRO FROM ANOTHER MOM:** Where are you?

 

**[1:57 AM] BRO FROM ANOTHER MOM:** Your family told me you choose to spend the holidays away this time, but they don’t know why.

 

**[1:58 AM] ROBERT:** was it Stannis who ratted me out

 

**[1:58 AM] ROBERT:** of course it was, little bastard

 

**[1:58 AM] BRO FROM ANOTHER MOM:** Where are you? Your cousin’s?

 

**[1:59 AM] ROBERT:** lmao no. i went to his bday last month

 

**[1:59 AM] ROBERT:** that’s enough till Elia’s bday. that’s gonna be a blast

 

**[1:59 AM] ROBERT:** i even got a plus one invitation

 

That’s something he still can’t believe happened, but he’s looking forward to taking Lyanna to Elia’s party.

 

**[2:00 AM] BO FROM ANOTHER MOM:** Taking your mystery girl?

 

**[2:00 AM] ROBERT:** you know it! i could try to get you an in

 

**[2:00 AM] ROBERT:** if you want?

 

**[2:01 AM] BRO FROM ANOTHER MOM:** I’ll consider it. You’ve yet to answer my question.

 

**[2:01 AM] ROBERT:** i’d have to tell you why i went MIA for days first

 

**[2:01 AM] BRO FROM ANOTHER MOM:** Knowing you, you probably hooked up with some random girl and locked yourself in your apartment with her. It’s the only reason why you even go MIA, other than being at your parent’s, but then Mrs. Baratheon is kind enough to let me know of your whereabouts so I can make sure your plants don’t die.

 

**[2:02 AM] ROBERT:** well…

 

**[2:02 AM] BRO FROM ANOTHER MOM:** I’m right. Gods be good, Robert. What happened with your mystery girl? You were doing so good, and after what happened during the double date? I thought this Lya meant something to you?

 

**[2:03 AM] ROBERT:** the fucking world

 

Moments like this, he’s glad that he preferred texting over talking, because he’d have hung up on Ned for that.  _ The nerve, _ he thinks, growling, he’s been good these past months.

 

**[2:03 AM] ROBERT:** and wow, i’m hurt you assumed the worst right away

 

**[2:03 AM] ROBERT:** i think i’ll put you on time out again

 

**[2:03 AM] BRO FROM ANOTHER MOM:** Sorry, but I know your patterns. What was it, then?

 

**[2:04 AM] ROBERT:** a whole day locked up in my apartment, having amazing sex all over the place

 

**[2:04 AM] ROBERT:** with Lya

 

His sour mood doesn’t last and the grin is back; he thanks the fucking gods no one is around, since he’s pretty sure his face says it all. All he’s reliving in his head.

 

**[2:04 AM] BRO FROM ANOTHER MOM:** Robert, you just said, you didn’t!

 

**[2:04 AM] BRO FROM ANOTHER MOM:** Oh, sorry. I didn’t see your latest message.

 

**[2:05 AM] ROBERT:** twas awesome!!

 

**[2:05 AM] BRO FROM ANOTHER MOM:** I’m happy for you.

 

**[2:05 AM] ROBERT:** srsly Ned

 

**[2:05 AM] ROBERT:** it was so good i can’t keep the shit-eating grin off my face!

 

**[2:05 AM] ROBERT:** i fear her family will know how i spent the last couple of days defiling her

 

And wouldn’t that be a disaster of epic proportions?

 

**[2:06 AM] BRO FROM ANOTHER MOM:** I thought you said one day? And now days?

 

**[2:06 AM] ROBERT:** we took the train back to Winterfell

 

**[2:06 AM] ROBERT:** that’s why “days”, we fooled around some in the train

 

**[2:06 AM] ROBERT:** also awesome!! she’s awesome, i swear, idk how in the seven hells i got her, like

 

**[2:07 AM] ROBERT:** Ned, she’s perfect, fucking perfect

 

**[2:08 AM] BRO FROM ANOTHER MOM:** Winterfell?

 

**[2:08 AM] ROBERT:** srsly? ignoring my confession?

 

**[2:08 AM] BRO FROM ANOTHER MOM:** She’s from Winterfell? You’re in Winterfell?

 

**[2:09 AM] ROBERT:** yea, didn’t i tell you? must’ve slipped my mind

 

Damn Ned for clinging to the most inconsequential detail.

 

**[2:09 AM] BRO FROM ANOTHER MOM:** That’s… surprising. And something I’d have liked to known.

 

**[2:10 AM] ROBERT:** well you know now. you’re here too, yea? we should meet up some time

 

**[2:10 AM] ROBERT:** i’ll introduce you! Ned you’ll love her, she’s

 

**[2:10 AM] BRO FROM ANOTHER MOM:** Perfect. You’ve said it already.

 

**[2:11 AM] ROBERT:** yes well, tis the truth

 

**[2:11 AM] ROBERT:** so? meet up, yay or nay?

 

**[2:11 AM] BRO FROM ANOTHER MOM:** What does she look like?

 

**[2:11 AM] ROBERT:** now who’s ignoring my question?

 

**[2:12 AM] BRO FROM ANOTHER MOM:** Robert, please.

 

“Well damn, Ned, only you,” he mutters, shaking his head, but replies anyway.

 

**[2:13 AM] ROBERT:** she’s hot af. i told you that? the prettiest girl i’ve ever seen

 

**[2:13 AM] ROBERT:** nothing at all like you, Old Man. hate to say it, but you got the short end of stick when the Old Gods were handing out the hotness.

 

**[2:14 AM] BRO FROM ANOTHER MOM:** And you know this after meeting one girl?

 

**[2:14 AM] ROBERT:** i’ve met 3 already. all right up there on par with Elia on the hotness department

 

**[2:14 AM] ROBERT:** so yea. nothing at all like you

 

Before he can read his reply, Robert gets another text, one that has him nearly shoving his fist into his mouth to stop from laughing.

 

**[2:15 AM] CATFISH:** Stop texting Ned, please. We were in the middle of a very important discussion.

 

**[2:15 AM] ROBERT:** is that how you kids are calling it now?

 

**[2:15 AM] ROBERT:** “important discussion”?

 

**[2:15 AM] CATFISH:** Fine, have it your way.

 

**[2:16 AM] CATFISH:** Stop texting Ned so he can come back to bed and keep banging my brains out.

 

_ “Goddammit.” _

 

He can’t shove the pillow against his face fast enough, his snort is loud but he hopes the rest of the residents are fast asleep. He shakes in mirth and has to take several breaths, wipe a tear off his eye, before replying.

 

**[2:19 AM] ROBERT:** sorry, luv, didn’t mean to cockblock you. i’ll tell him to stop

 

**[2:19 AM] CATFISH:** Thank you.

 

He doesn’t bother to read the messages Ned kept sending. With a grin on his face, that he wishes Ned could see, wishes they could be face to face for this, he replies.

 

**[2:20 AM] ROBERT:** go back to bed and keep banging Cat’s brains out, Eddard!

 

He has to bite the pillow to stop from laughing again.

 

**[2:20 AM] BRO FROM ANOTHER MOM:** BLOCKT.

 

*****

 

Needless to say, Robert slept little after that, which is why he's up earlier than usual, and looking for the kitchen.

 

He finds it, and in it, he also finds Mrs. Stark and an old woman he can assume is her mother or mother-in-law.

 

“Oh, and who is this?”

 

Mrs. Stark turns in time to witness his smile and exaggerated bow, which makes her smile in return so, he'll take it as a win.

 

“Ma'am, Mrs. Stark, good morning,” he says. “I hope you had a good night's sleep.”

 

“Well enough, boy,” says the old woman, as she eyes him critically.

 

“It was, thank you.” Mrs. Stark pauses in preparing breakfast and turns to face them fully. “Marna, this is Robert Baratheon, Lyanna's boyfriend. Robert, this is Marna Stark, Lyanna's paternal grandmother.”

 

“Baratheon, you say?” Old Marna stands from her chair and walks over to him; Robert blinks, mildly shocked by how tiny she is. “From Storm's End?”

 

“Yes, ma'am.”

 

He stands perfectly still as she circles him, making him feel like he's being scrutinized, then jumps out little when her hands land on his biceps. Startled, he looks up at Mrs. Stark who simply shakes her head in amusement.

 

“Um…”

 

“Marna… I don't think Lyanna will appreciate you manhandling her boyfriend.”

 

“Mm, she's got good taste, that girl.” The old lady walks around, and Robert can't help yelping in shock when she pinches his ass. “Good eye candy.”

 

He scurries away, hands covering his behind and looking properly mortified. Mrs. Stark laughs good-naturedly as she goes back to preparing breakfast.

 

“A little too shy, he is.”

 

“Let me help you, Mrs. Stark,” he says, voice coming out in a squeak, and damn but he'd not been prepared to be groped by Lyanna's grandma. “I'm a fairly good cook.”

 

“Thank you,” Mrs. Stark watches him in amusement when he moves carefully away from old Mrs. Stark once the old lady returns to her seat and tea. “So, Robert, I thought you were from the Vale?”

 

“No, I'm originally from Storm's End, but I moved to the Vale to go to college.” Slightly more at ease, he grins at her as he follows her instructions to chop up some veggies. “I planned to go back after graduating, but I got a good job offer there.”

 

“My sister lives in the Stormlands with her husband, she followed him there – Marna, no pinching the cook's helper when he's handling a knife.”

 

Robert yelps again, turns just in time to see the old lady tut and return to her seat again.

 

“You're no fun, dear, just like that son of mine.”

 

Things calm down a bit after that, and in a strange way, the three of them settle on a comfortable moment, following the conversation when it came up.

 

He learns that Lyanna's grandma preferred to be called Granny Stark, and encouraged him to do so right away. She's also very curious about his life and the extent of his relationship with Lyanna. Asking all sort of inappropriate questions, that had those come from someone else, he would've replied without inhibitions.  _ But this is her grandma, and her mother is standing right there. _ He can’t, in good conscience, answer the questions about their sex life.

 

Granny Stark also likes to pinch his butt whenever the chance came, and she seems to find the chance much too often to his liking.

 

Mrs. Stark, much like her mother-in-law, is genuinely curious to hear about the progress of his relationship with her daughter, if less intrusive about it. She tells him she's not happy about him being the reason Lyanna up and disappeared on them unexpectedly, but that she won't blame him for her daughter's impulsive nature.

 

“She did it often enough during her previous relationship.”

 

“With Dacey, I know.” He smiles at her shock. “She told me.”

 

It's easier after that, some of the tension leaving her shoulders. His cooking skills please her and amuse her, if only because Lyanna is a disaster in the kitchen. “She ought to keep you around, just so that she can eat something more than junk food.”

 

Robert chuckles at that, his heart thuds eagerly at the idea, Lyanna keeping him around. Maybe he’s getting ahead of himself, everything’s moved so fast with them, but, he can’t say he doesn’t want that. “I hope she does, Mrs. Stark.”

 

“Oh, please, there are too many Mrs. Starks about. I don’t mind if you call me Lyarra, Robert.”

 

He smiles brightly at that;  _ yes, _ he’s always been a charmer. “As you please, Lyarra. Now, what else can I do to help?”

 

He sets the table, dodging wandering hands and biting his lips to avoid laughing at the inappropriate questions. He shares part of his childhood when Granny Stark asks about it, in between trips from the kitchen to the dining room. The house is full, he’d been told, so a full breakfast was in order.

 

“So, you don’t get along with your brothers?” Lyarra asks as he wanders back in, dodging Granny Stark’s hand. “Marna, please.”

 

“No fun at all.”

 

Robert chuckles but still stands at the other side of Lyarra. “Yes, I… just my brother Stannis, actually. He just never learned how to have a good time. Renly is alright, but he’s twelve.”

 

Lyarra hands him over another dish, asking, “any close friends?”

 

“Yes!” Again, he walks around the kitchen table taking the longest route to the dining room. “My best friend, Ned! We met in college and, I swear, no time at all, and we were like brothers. Still are.”

 

“Ned, you say? I’ve a grandson named Ned,” Granny Stark says, rubbing her chin as he hurries to leave the dish on the table.

 

When he comes back into the kitchen, he hears: “Or maybe it’s Edric?”

 

Lyarra has a contemplative look on her face, quickly morphing into wonder as she sets her blue-grey eyes on him. “It couldn’t be,” she says, chuckling in what he can swear is disbelief. “It would be too much of a coincidence, but…”

 

“What would?”

 

Robert turns and immediately has his arms full of Lyanna. If his smirk takes a smug tilt, he hopes no one but her notices. “Hey, good morning, Lya.”

 

Lyanna smirks back, grabs fistfuls of his sweater and pulls him into a kiss. “Good morning.”

 

He’s about to lean in for another kiss, momentarily forgetting about their audience, but then feels the pinch, and he yelps again, jumping and almost knocking Lyanna over too.

 

“No inappropriate kissing in front of the elderly,” says Granny Stark, walking by them and stopping only to kiss Lyanna on the cheek. “Good morning, dear, I’ll go wake up the sleepy heads.”

 

“No pinching my boyfriend’s butt, Gran!” Lyanna turns a decidedly predatory grin on him then, “that’s something only I can do.”

 

Robert yelps again.

 

“Lyanna!” the stern tone of Lyarra succeeds in reminding them they’re not alone.

 

“Sorry, Mama,” she looks it, too, and quickly moves to kiss her mother’s cheek. “Need any help?”

 

“Robert’s taken care of it.”

 

“Oh?”

 

“He even helped me with the cooking.”

 

“It was my pleasure, Lyarra, I like to cook.”

 

Just then, noise begins to fill the house, as the rest of the residents are called to breakfast. Lyarra smiles at him, patting his cheek on her way out of the kitchen and he’s left alone with Lyanna, who looks a mix of amazed and horrified.

 

“Lyarra?”

 

Robert shrugs. “She said there were too many Mrs. Stark about,” he says, and moves closer, pulling her back into his arms. “Now, how about one last kiss before I’m off to wrestle with wolves.”

 

“I can’t believe you charmed my mother over cooking breakfast.”

 

Robert leans for a kiss, but the little minx is still looking at him in both amazement and horror. “I charmed you with a couple of texts, are you really surprised?”

 

That earns him a punch to his ribs, it only gets a laugh from him.

 

“Shut up! That was different.” Lyanna tries to act affronted but is soon surrendering to him, as she’s done these past few days. “You played dirty, sending shirtless pics right off the bat.”

 

“You started with your selfies!”

 

“Only to prove a point!”

 

“Well, it was a point well made,” he smirks now, grabs her unexpectedly by the waist and sits her on the counter. “Now, my kiss?”

 

“Only a kiss,” it’s her reply, but Lyanna does kiss him, slowly and sweetly and as it begins to take a turn for the  _ better, _ she stops, suddenly, and glares over his shoulder. “Brother.”

 

“I don’t think Dad will appreciate this view, little sister.”

 

Quickly, he steps away and lets Lyanna jump off the counter, and they both face her brother.  _ One of her brothers. _ It’s right there, in the back of his mind, a memory, ringing away damned bells because he’s sure there’s something about this setting that he should be recognizing. In fact, this brother…  _ He looks familiar, almost like— _

 

“I don’t think your face will appreciate having my fist crashing into it, big brother.”

 

Lyanna’s retort makes him laugh, to which she smirks but the brother is definitely not amused.

 

He tilts his chin up, and the resemblance to Lyanna is definitely there, but not as strongly as Lyarra, so Robert can surmise this one takes after their father, the, until now mysterious, Mr. Stark. With his brown hair and grey eyes, both a lighter shade than his sister’s, the guy walks closer, until he stands before him, arms crossed and frowning, looking up at him. He’s almost a head shorter than him, and that ruins all attempts of being intimidating.  _ He’s broader and taller than Ned, _ he thinks, and  _ that— _ that throws him for a loop.

 

“Brandon Stark,” he says, sticking his hand out.

 

Robert grabs it almost as an afterthought, shaking it.

 

_ It can’t be, can it? _ Brandon squeezes, and it’s instinct what makes him squeeze his hand back, not one to be outdone, but Robert’s head is far away. Ned had told him his siblings names, hadn’t he? He talked plenty about his family, but it was always on terms of father, mother, brothers or sister. Unless the particular story required a name to get who was doing what, and that’s was only rarely.  _ Brandon, though…  _ Is he a bad friend for not remembering? He doesn’t think so, he’s not expecting Ned to remember all the names of all his relatives, and goddamned but he had many of  _ those. _ Knowing Ned, he probably  _ remembers  _ them, the bastard.

 

The name Brandon keeps ringing an insistent, tiny, and annoying bell.

 

“I heard you got my sister to run off in the middle of the night,” Brandon says, with a last ineffective squeeze of his hand before stepping back. “I ought to beat the crap out of you.”

 

Lyanna growls. “Brandon—”

 

“He’s not even given me his name.”

 

“I’m Robert,” he says, “nice to meet you.”

 

It’s when her brother frowns that it clicks. “Wish I could say the same.”

 

_ Fucking hells. _

 

“Rude, brother, what would Mom say?” Leaning on the threshold, stands another man, looking younger than Brandon, taller though, but lanky; his hair is a darker shade of brown, and he has the blue-grey eyes of their mother. He waves his hand at him. “I’m Benjen, by the way, the youngest Stark.”

 

“Robert Baratheon—”

 

Benjen arches an eyebrow and  _ oh my fucking gods, it can’t be. _ “Baratheon? As in…  _ the _ Robert Baratheon, from the Vale?”

 

Even Brandon looks shocked. “Like…  _ Ned’s _ Robert?”

 

“What are you two idiots talking about?”

 

Robert takes the distraction to absorb everything that’s coming to him. Looks at Brandon and Benjen  _ and Lyanna, _ notices all the little things that stand out, the resemblance, the gestures and little nuances that he finds incredibly adorable in her, that she shares with her brothers. Like the way her nose scrunches up when scowling,  _ just a tad more exaggerated than Ned oh my fucking gods. _ He keeps making note of everything, also realizing how it is he missed it; he’s seen family pictures, has seen the faces of all four siblings, but always from years ago, or in some state of blurry mess because Ned sucks at taking pictures with his phone.  _ She looks so different from that awkward looking teen, _ Robert thinks, focusing on Lyanna.

 

Well, damn him to the seven hells, but this is not something he ever thought would happen.

 

_ Should’ve known when she told me her family name was Stark. _

 

He shouldn’t have assumed there were  _ more  _ Starks out there not closely related to Ned.

 

“Really, Lya? You know, Ned’s friend,” says Benjen, his voice breaking through his momentary stupor.

 

“What about him?”

 

“His name is Robert,” replies Brandon, turning a glare on him.

 

Lyanna follows his line of sight until her eyes also land on him; she blinks, he grins, and then she sighs and huffs, grabbing his hand. “There are plenty of men named Robert. Ned’s friend is not—”

 

“Seriously?”

 

“Lya, what your brothers mean to say—”

 

His sentence get cut short by an older man walking into the kitchen. It’s clear he must be Mr. Stark, if not for the resemblance to Brandon then for the hard and unforgiving glare he sets on him. “Breakfast is ready and on the table,” he says, and nothing else, yet they’re all quick to follow his orders.

 

He pauses briefly to offer a handshake in greeting, introducing himself, before Lyanna pulls him away.

 

“I’m trying to give a good impression,” he tells her, amused at their hasty retreat.

 

“Yeah, that won’t cut it,” she replies. “Dad can be pretty stubborn when he wants to.”

 

Robert grins. “Ooh, so  _ that’s  _ where you got it.”

 

He laughs when her hand connects sharply with his chest, and soon they’re stepping into the dining room. And just like that, hand in hand, is how they come face to face with none other than Ned and his ever lovely girlfriend, Catelyn.

 

She talks first. “Robert?”

 

That makes everyone come to a halt, except him, who has already worked it out and is ready to simply roll with it. Is quite happy to roll with it.

 

Robert grins, waves at her as she's out of reach for a hug. “Cat! Fancy meeting you here.”

 

“You know… her…?” Lyanna trails off, eyes widening slowly as she turns to face Catelyn, then Ned, then looks over the rest of her family, notes the knowing looks, before turning back on the newly arrived couple. “Oh.”

 

Ned's reaction is confusion, at first, almost a non-reaction.

 

“You'll never believe what happened, Ned.”

 

“I only find it hard to believe that neither of you realized it any sooner,” says Lyarra, looking pointedly at them. “How did you not recognized the names?”

 

“I don't really pay attention to Ned's ramblings…” Lyanna looks mildly embarrassed admitting to that, and Robert can't stop grinning though he probably should. “Robert?”

 

“How was I supposed to know Ned's family were the only Starks?” He shrugs. “Also, his pictures are always blurry. It’s hard to recognize the people in it beyond hair color.”

 

“I thought we agreed you'd keep your friend away from our sister, Ned.” Brandon gets no response. “Ned?”

 

Catelyn turns a worried glance at her boyfriend. Ned?”

 

“Eddard?” Lyarra, too, calls out to him.

 

There's no response, other than the slow realization dawning on him, the horror sneaking through the cracks on his rapidly changing face. And suddenly, Robert knows what's about to happen.

 

“Is he broken?” Benjen asks.

 

Robert makes use of the distraction to pull Lyanna closer, so he can whisper. “Um… Lya?“

 

“Yeah?”

 

“So, I might’ve said something to Ned, about how I spent… the weekend?”

 

She hisses. “What did you tell him?”

 

“No details, I swear! Enough for him to, you know,  _ get it. _ I'm sorry.”

 

He knows, his apology would actually feel more genuine if he weren't finding all of this do damned funny. If his lips weren’t fighting a losing battle with a smile.

 

By then, Ned seems to have broken out of his stupor, hisses, and turns a pained glare in their direction. And says what's possibly the most damning, if accurate, statement.

 

“You slept with my little sister?”

 

And then all hell breaks loose.

 

_ “WHAT?” _


End file.
